GDevelop: Accessible Game Development for Everyone

GDevelop: Democratizing Game Creation

GDevelop is a game engine designed to empower individuals to create video games even without prior development experience. Although the “no-code” movement has gained prominence recently, GDevelop has been available to users for several years.

Origins and Accessibility

The project was initially conceived by Florian Rival as a personal open-source endeavor. The first publicly available version was published on GitHub in 2014.

Rival’s primary goal was to maximize the accessibility of game development. The engine can be launched directly within a web browser or installed as a desktop application, allowing users to begin with pre-built templates and experiment at their convenience.

Focus on 2D Game Development

GDevelop specifically concentrates on 2D games, a choice made to simplify the process for both developers and players. Level creation is streamlined through a drag-and-drop interface for placing objects within the game scene.

Event-Based Game Logic

Game mechanics are managed through the Events tab. These mechanics are defined using a condition-action structure – for example, triggering a “jumping” animation when the player initiates a jump.

Extensibility and Web Technologies

The engine includes a comprehensive set of default actions. For more specialized functionality, an extension system allows developers to incorporate additional logic. Furthermore, developers have the option to create custom extensions utilizing conditions, actions, or JavaScript code.

GDevelop utilizes web technologies like WebGL, JavaScript, and WebAssembly for game rendering. Upon completion, games can be exported for web deployment or packaged as Android applications. Approximately 50% of GDevelop users choose to export their projects for the Android platform.

Growing Success and Community

Over time, GDevelop has demonstrated impressive growth. The GDevelop website features a showcase with numerous games created by its users. Several of these games have achieved significant popularity.

Notably, Vai Juliette reached the top of the free download charts on both the Play Store and App Store in Brazil, accumulating over a million downloads.

Diverse Applications

Some developers dedicate substantial time to crafting complex games with GDevelop, releasing them on platforms like Steam or Itch.io. Additionally, brands are leveraging the engine to create promotional games and support product launches.

Florian Rival expresses his ambition: “My dream is that the next Among Us will be developed using GDevelop.”

Company Formation and Funding

To further develop the engine, Florian Rival has established a company dedicated to GDevelop and is now working on it full-time. The startup recently secured $1.4 million in funding, led by Seedcamp, with participation from Secretfund, Kima Ventures, Ascension, Jabre Capital Partners, The Fund, and Foreword.vc.

Several business angels also contributed to the funding round, including Michael Pennington, Ross Sheil, Emmanuel Nataf, Will Neale, and Ian Hogarth.

Open Source Commitment and Monetization Strategy

The team, currently comprised of six individuals, is continuously improving the open-source game engine. GDevelop remains committed to remaining free; it will not transition to a commercial engine.

Due to the MIT license, developers retain full ownership of the games they create using GDevelop.

Future Services

The company is exploring potential services to benefit GDevelop users. One possibility is a simplified, one-click export solution for game release and monetization.

Recognizing that many mobile game developers rely on advertising revenue, GDevelop is considering an integrated ad feature. The startup would potentially receive a percentage of the ad revenue generated.

As GDevelop’s user base expands, diverse revenue streams will emerge to sustain ongoing development efforts.