The Xenko game engine (previously Paradox3D) has been in beta for a couple years now, available for free use in binary form, with GPL licensed source code available. If you are interested in learning more about the engine, we have a complete tutorial series available here.
Today Silicon Studio finally announced a release date and perhaps more importantly, licensing information although no actual prices yet. From the Xenko blog:
We are pleased to announce that Xenko will exit its beta stage on April, 2017 with the first commercial version of the engine! As we’re still finalizing last details, the exact pricing model of the engine will be announced on the release day. We can let you know that:
- We are planning to switch to a monthly subscription model with several tiers (education, indie, etc.)
- The tier intended for indies will be free to use
- The code source of the runtime will remain available for everyone
- The code source of the editor will be accessible only to the upper tiers
- We will move from GPL to a custom license allowing developers to modify the engine without having to open their game sources
- The beta versions will remain available to download for users already developing a game on it
Interesting to see they will be moving away from the GPL license. I have never been a fan of the GPL, but it has always offered a way to make the code available publically while retaining a revenue stream as well. The devil is of course still going to be in the details. Where does the runtime end and the engine begin when it comes to source code? What are the details of this new proprietary code license going to be and of course, how much will each tier cost. I guess we have to wait until April to find out.