We’re excited to announce the pricing model for our W4 Games Console Ports, which will make it easier than ever for developers to bring their Godot games to consoles. This pricing model reflects our commitment to democratizing the video game development and monetization process.
Developing and releasing a new product is an iterative process, and this includes defining its pricing model. We are looking forward to onboarding new users in our Early Access Program (see below) and get their feedback on our offering for console ports, and its fit for their current and future Godot projects.
| Starter | Pro | Enterprise | |
| Game team size max | 8 | 20 | Unlimited |
| One platform | $800 /yr per team | $4,000 /yr per team | Custom pricing |
| Two platforms | $1,500 /yr per team | $7,500 /yr per team | Custom pricing |
| Three platforms | $2,000 /yr per team | $10,000 /yr per team | Custom pricing |
| Publisher/Porting house allowed | ✖️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Source code | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Ongoing updates | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Documentation | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Tutorials | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Bug handling | Standard | Expedited | Expedited |
| Premium support | ✖️ | Optional | ✔️ |
| Emergency escalations | ✖️ | Optional | Optional |
| Success manager | ✖️ | ✖️ | Optional |
All our subscription plans are yearly. We plan to offer monthly payments at an additional cost.
The above prices are in US Dollars.
Understanding Our Pricing Model
We carefully crafted our pricing model to cater to the diverse needs and resources of our users. Here’s a breakdown of each tier:
- Starter: This tier is ideal for small teams or solo developers who want to port their Godot games to one, two, or three consoles. It includes standard bug handling, access to our source code, and ongoing updates.
- Pro: Designed for larger teams, the Pro tier offers everything included in the Starter tier, expedited bug handling, and the option to add Premium Support. It also allows publisher and porting house involvement.
- Enterprise: Tailored for large-scale projects and enterprise-level needs, the Enterprise tier provides access to our entire suite of services, including expedited bug handling, Premium Support, Emergency Escalations, and an optional Success Manager.
Our Services Philosophy
We recognize that pricing is a key issue for developers, particularly for those at the early stages of game development commercialization process. Because of this, we are committed to providing value-added services that facilitate the monetization process at a fair and transparent price.
Commitment to Open Source
At W4 Games, we are staunchly committed to open-source software, and our pricing model reflects this dedication. We provide full source code access for all tiers, empowering developers to customize and optimize our ports as they see fit.
Early Access Program and Release Timeline
We are currently in the Consoles Early Access Program (EAP) and accepting applications through this form. We anticipate releasing our ports for Nintendo Switch™ and Xbox Series X|S™ in Q1 2024, followed by PlayStation®5 in Q2 2024.
Note: As of March 2024, we’re no longer accepting EAP applications.
“Xbox” is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.
“Nintendo Switch” is a trademark of Nintendo.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark or trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
FAQ
Technical questions
Q: What version of Godot are your ports compatible with?
A: 4.3 and higher. We aim to update our ports to the latest stable and master version of the engine within a month of release.
Q: Can I code in C#?
A: At the time of release our ports will fully support C#.
Q: Will the ports support all engine features?
A: Our intention is that they will be able to support all engine features to the extent reasonably technologically feasible. Please note that there may be lag time between engine updates and porting modifications.
Q: Will the ports support achievements and cloud saves?
A: Yes.
Q: How will you handle platform updates?
A: We’ll track the current masterable (stable) platform SDK version and the next one on the vendor pipeline.
Q: What is your delivery method for the software?
A: We provide access to a private repository after purchase and verification.
Q: Will you offer ports for PS4 and/or Xbox One?
A: Not at this time, but we’ll evaluate the feasibility and demand in 2024.
Q: Does your software mine user data/track user activity/have telemetry of any kind?
A: No, however, we might have optional telemetry for benchmarking/QC in the future.
Licensing questions
Q: I’m a porting house, do I need to pay for a Pro License?
A: For porting houses, the publisher/customer should be providing the license for the project.
Q: What if my company publishes/updates more than one game per year?
A: You can publish and update as many games as you want as long as your license is current.
Q: What rights do I lose when my subscription ends?
A: Under the Starter and Pro licenses, when you stop paying, you lose access to the W4 console repositories. You are also not permitted to publish or further update any game you have published with our ports, as long as you’re using any part of the W4 Games codebase for that specific platform. If your company desires more permissive terms, this can always be arranged with an Enterprise license. For non-content patches (with the exclusive intention of keeping the game compliant with the current SDKs), post-launch, no license is required. However, keep in mind you won’t have access to the repositories if you don’t have an active license.
Q: I have my own port for “Platform A”, and would like to purchase only the “Platform B” port from W4 Games. Is this possible? Or do I need to pay for the subscription for “Platform A” too?
A: You do not need a subscription to publish to platforms if your game does not use the W4 Games codebase for that platform. For example, if your game makes use of the W4 Games Switch repository codebase, but does not make use of W4 Games PlayStation 5 repository codebase, you are free to publish to PlayStation 5 without a PlayStation 5 subscription. You can mix and match the platforms as you see fit. Additionally, if you publish with a W4 Games port but eventually engineer your own solution, you can cancel your W4 Games subscription with no limitations, as long as you’re not using code from the W4 Games console ports.
Q: What counts as a team? Does it include sub-contractors?
A: A team includes all members who worked actively at any stage of development for more than four months, including those working in-house or as external sub-contractors. Company leadership (i.e. CEO, CTO, etc.) should also be included in the team number count.
Q: What happens if after a while my team size exceeds the license’s limits?
A: Contact us to upgrade your license for the current year. The adjustment will include the whole span of the current license year.
Q: What if my team went slightly over the limit for the Starter license?
A: You will need to get a Pro or Enterprise license, but we understand the realities of small companies and can discuss pricing for special situations on a case-by-case basis.
Q: What if my company has multiple teams working on Godot projects for porting?
A: You should count your team size as the total amount of people working on Godot projects using W4 Games console ports, even if they’re separate projects. Our license terms don’t have a project limit.
Q: How does W4 Games verify the size of customer teams for the purposes of determining pricing plans?
A: Customers will set forth their team size in our contract and have an obligation to update W4 Games if their team size changes over time. We trust in the honesty of our clients and that they will abide by the contract. We also trust they properly recognize their staff in the game credits.
Q: Can I cancel my subscription at any time?
A: We only sell yearly subscriptions, even if you opt to pay monthly. Once you purchase a subscription, you can cancel at any time but we can’t provide refunds. Any outstanding payments for the remainder of the subscription term must be completed.
Q: Do I need to pay revenue share?
A: No.
Q: Do I need to pay a runtime or install fee?
A: No.
Q: I’d like to add Premium Support only for a month. Is this possible?
A: No, optional services for the Pro and Enterprise tiers are subject to a yearly contract that matches the duration of the license. They will be prorated for the remainder of this term.
Other questions
Q: What is Premium Support?
A: It’s an online portal where you can ask questions and make requests to the W4 Games development team directly. We aim for our time to first response to be 16 working hours.
Q: What are Emergency Escalations?
A: It’s a specialized customer support service where you can request that high emergency situations receive very short turnaround resolutions.
Q: What is a Success Manager?
A: It’s a W4 Games team member who represents your interests internally, understands your game, and can point you in the right direction or get the right person to help you. A Success Manager can assist by removing roadblocks for your project, as well as support customers in complex situations that require interaction with the Godot project itself, like upstream bugfixing.
Q: What is the difference between standard and expedited bug reporting?
A: With “Standard”, you can submit a bug and it will be prioritized by our product team, taking into account multiple factors which generally involve criticality, frequency, and solution complexity. With “Expedited”, the bug gets moved higher up the chain in our issue support procedures, which means we’ll generally get to it more quickly. We allocate a percentage of our team’s time to solve expedited bugs every sprint.
Q: Will the pricing plan be changed in the future?
A: We may make changes to our pricing plan in the future, but any changes will be based on our philosophy of providing products and services that create value for developers and our mission of facilitating video game development.
Note
We have prepared the answers to the questions based on the information we currently have and our expectations. However, at the time these answers were prepared our products are in beta version and may change.