Software corporation Autodesk recently announced that it will release its very own of video game engine called Stingray. The new engine will be released on Aug. 19.
The Stingray engine was built on the foundation of the Bitsquid engine, which Autodesk bought in June 2014. The new engine retains the main core of the Bitsquid engine and Autodesk just overhauled its interface. According to Engadet, the new game engine is targeted towards smaller studios that needs a fully customizable engine that does not require too much programming.
Autodesk added that the decision to focus on smaller studios was made since bigger video game companies, most of the time, have their own game engine or uses well-established engine, game engines like Unity 5 and Unreal 4.
The company hopes to attract users ranging small to medium sized gaming studios. In order to do this, the Stingray is equipped with a node-based scripting tool which makes programming into an easy drag-and-drop interface, according to The Verge. The engine's C++ source code is also offered for free in case some companies are interested to make additional customization.
The Stingray engine comes in with an interesting feature called the Live Link. It is a multi-platform testing that allow level designers to render gameplay and visuals on different systems. The feature uses Wi-Fi networks to communicate to other devices and covers the several platforms including Android, iOS, Oculus Rift DK2, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One.
Autodesk said that the Stingray engine will cost $30 per month starting Aug. 19. The engine will be bundled with Maya LT game development software and will cost $30 monthly as well.