Amazon has launched its own free AAA game engine for Xbox One, PS4 and PC called Lumberyard.
This new games engine is completely free of subscription and royalty fees, allowing game developers to get in on the action without having to fork out.
The PC and console tool features support for Twitch and Amazon Web Services, and Amazon has confirmed that Oculus SDK compatibility is also en-route.
Lumberyard is based on Crytek’s CryEngine and developers can use it to create games for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Amazon has licensed official tools from Sony and Microsoft to allow console game development using its Lumberyard engine.
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In terms of finances, Lumberyard will generate revenue from the use of Amazon’s Web Services server tech, which comes pre-built into the engine.
This is the only third-party cloud service supported by Lumberyard, but if developers want to build their own infrastructure they are able to do so.
Lumberyard also includes networking code from Killer Instinct developer Double Helix, which aims to reduce latency.
The online retail giant also revealed GameLift, which is a new service based on Amazon Web Services that’s exlusive to developers using Lumberyard. It allows them to deploy and operate server-based online titles.
Lumberyard is currently available in beta form, with the engine’s source code also freely available.
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What are you thoughts on Lumberyard? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
