GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta – The Best Things In Life Are Free.

November 20 2010, 4:22pm

It’s here! At long last, GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta has arrived, and it is the biggest and best update we’ve ever produced. Also, as promised, we are debuting an entirely new membership system with GameSalad 0.9.0. We still have two membership tiers, now called Basic and Professional. But wait, what’s it going to cost, you ask? Today we’re proud to unveil a new “Free to Make” subscription program for developers looking to publish to iOS, Mac, or the Web. GameSalad is introducing the “Free to Make” model by offering Basic subscription at no cost to users. That’s right – it’s free! We’re also announcing a new Professional level account, which includes additional monetization features like iADs and promotional links, available today at the cost of $499 a year. Custom Splash Screens are no longer available under the Professional account. Developers will continue to publish games under their personal Apple iPhone Developer accounts, which are still required in order to publish and test their iOS creations on Apple devices. “By introducing the ‘Free to Make’ model, we’re holding true to what really sets GameSalad apart from everyone else,” said Steve Felter, recently named CEO of GameSalad. “Making game design accessible to everyone is our top priority. GameSalad 0.9.0 is our biggest and best update ever – and it’s just the beginning. This is the foundation for building the ultimate game creation tool.” Current Express and Pro users have the option of upgrading to the new Professional membership for only $99 for the first year. This “Legacy User Upgrade Offer” expires Dec 31, 2010. Both the Basic and Professional accounts are available today at GameSalad’s website. Now onto the juicy details of GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta. This update is the most advanced, best performing version of the GameSalad Creator to date. The new version of GameSalad Creator features an entirely redesigned Dashboard and Publishing Wizard. The GameSalad development team has applied the same design philosophy to the Creator’s new Dashboard and Publishing Wizard that made GameSalad Creator such a success to aspiring game makers. Users can now manage their online portfolios, get the latest GameSalad news, and submit their games to the App Store with significantly more speed and ease. “GameSalad 0.9.0 was designed to eliminate all barriers for an iPhone game developer.” said Chief Product Officer Michael Agustin. “Our goal was to remove all the confusion around iTunes Connect publishing and provide a better way for developers to manage their games portfolio within the tool.” In addition, GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta boasts a completely refactored scenegraph and new asset manager, providing improved performance, memory management, and stability, as well as integral under-the-hood framework to enable the slew of upcoming features and new game mechanics. With GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta, we’ve also eliminated more than 80% of all reported crashes, improved performance and stability, and made significant improvements in the user experience for independent creators. For a detailed list of GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta updates, check out our Release Notes. Also, for those who were looking forward to having their games published under the previously announced GameSalad Direct plan, we have some good news. GameSalad will also be publishing select titles from their community through a new program to be announced in full next week. Where should you go from here?

Download GameSalad 0.9.0 Beta Now! Upgrade to Professional Today! Check out the Release Notes