Rumors have been going around lately that Amazon would be entering the gaming market with an original release. As it turns out, the rumors were partly correct, though not in the way that was generally expected. The e-commerce giant has just announced Lumberyard, a complete game engine that could be utilized by developers all over the world, according to International Business Times.
What makes Lumberyard so unique and great is the fact that Amazon is offering the entire engine for free. Yes, that is correct: Amazon just released a game engine, complete with a full source code and all the bells and whistles, completely free.
Amazon even stated that it would not be charging any royalty or subscription fee for Lumberyard. As it is, the gaming engine is no joke either with fully-featured tools that would enable developers to create both PC and console games, reported Gamasutra.
Lumberyard is so well-endowed with features, it would be powerful enough to produce AAA titles and games with VR support. Such features are definitely worth it since the platform is completely free.
The system is also closely tied to the company's Amazon Web Services server infrastructure, which would aid game developers to optimize online playability. Plus, Lumberyard is also fully Twitch-enabled, making it an ideal platform for interactive games, reported Game Spot.
Amazon does stand to make money off Lumberyard, though its revenue would lie completely through the use of its Web Services' cloud computing. Other than that, the platform is fully free, no strings attached.
Just as what the company did with the original Kindle Fire, which triggered a massive deluge of affordable sub-$200 tablets that forced the hands of Samsung and Apple to make a more affordable range of tablets, it seems like Amazon is intent on changing the gaming landscape as well.
