Amazon Lumberyard launched for "free" game development in the cloud

This week a new cross-platform 3D game engine was launched with the name Amazon Lumberyard. This system is integrated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twitch, including cloud-connected gameplay features and connectivity with Amazon GameLift. This second service, Amazon GameLift, was made to deploy, operate, and scale session-based multiplayer games. These tools appear to put Amazon right into the thick of the game development universe. Appear to. We'll see how adoption works soon.

According to Amazon, "Amazon GameLift has a small per-player fee, plus for both Amazon GameLift and Amazon Lumberyard, developers pay standard AWS fees for AWS services used." The company makes their cash from cloud computing fees.

This is slightly different from a company like Epic Games, whose game engine Unreal Engine 4 brings in cash only once a game is released.

Creators will be able to access Amazon Lumberyard to create their own games using Amazon's compute abilities and storage using AWS. Using this service, Amazon suggests that creators will have more time to interact with their prospective gamer fans using Twitch, wasting less time "on the undifferentiated heavy lifting of building a game engine and managing server infrastructure."

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Amazon suggests that they will not charge any kind of royalty or subscription fee if you want to use the code. The engine and its full source code is free to download and free to use to make PC and console games.

Lumberyard's code is not open source, though, mind you. According to an Amazon representative, "We make the source code available to enable you to fully customize your game, but your rights are limited by the Lumberyard Service Terms. For example, you may not publicly release the Lumberyard engine source code, or use it to release your own game engine."

Amazon has a version in development that'll support Oculus' SDK for virtual reality gaming as well.

The entire engine – the core engine technology – is based on Crytek's CryEngine. Amazon is currently licensing the studio's engine – this will not affect how creators utilize CryEngine separately.

You can access Lumberyard through the AWS Lumberyard portal, and Gamelift through the GameLift portal.

Also note that the Amazon Web Services terms have been updated. As spotted by Reddit user SvenNeve, the update includes a new clause for Lumberyard specifically in which materials are not meant to be used in life-critical or safety-critical systems. This clause has an exception, as follows:

"However, this restriction will not apple in the even of the occurrence (certified by the United States Centers for Disease Control or successor body) of a widespread viral infection transmitted via bites or contact with bodily fluids that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh, blood, brain or nerve tissue and is likely to result in the fall of organized civilization."

So... Zombie Clause. Remember that when the time comes.