I'm worried about the future.

We can at least hope when in like 5 years they want to make Construct 4 or go on, they will change the license to become normal license so there's no risk of inability to run your files.. Of course providing you download your files to your own computer from cloud if it get closed down. (providing there's truth to the 100% offline standalone mode)


Sometimes I do like to open files I made back in early 90s to see them. Harder and harder to do so.

Indeed, situations as with Adobe Director are a disadvantage of subscription based licensing models.

However, remember that there is also an offline version which will continue to work. I asume that as a cool game developer, you not only store your projects in the cloud but also on your own backup disks.

This mean, there is no risk at all. In case Scirra end development of Construct or they stop being in busines, there will be time enough to seek another solution.

Anyway, even with the local Construct 2, if Scirra ended development, you also would be in trouble because very soon Construct 2 would have become outdated.

Support for consoles like Xbox, PlayStation... needs to be realised in the future.

People can change from Construct 2 to Gamemaker, Unity or anything else. However when you changed and your new platform also change to the subscription model, it is even worse. Think about that!

When you develop games in Construct 2, I do not find it wise to change for the reason of the subscription model. Also for current license holders of Construct 2, there is a discounted subscription fee for the first year. I think it was 42$ instead of 99$.

There will also be a free Construct 3 edition but with severe limitations.

When I see concerns as explained by Helena, believe me, when you setup a proper backup structure, they are unnecessary. Remember again, you have Construct2 (which will keep working) and you have the offline version of Construct 3 and as a smart developer you backup your projects also to a backup disk. What can go wrong then?

Edit :
Please read the message of the original poster by clicking the link below. It is very long but very well written.

https://www.scirra.com/forum/c3-love_t187536

Software comes, and software goes. There are no guarantees that software will be supported long term.

However, a rental model does have the disadvantage that if the company goes under, or decides to discontinue a product, developers run the risk to be stone-walled in the middle of a project.

Point in case: Adobe announced a couple of weeks ago that Director development and support will be ending sometime in March. Existing rentals ("subscriptions") will be cut off at that time as well.

Developers on the Adobe Director forum are not happy about this (understatement) - for example, one developer is in the middle of a project, and it will take him longer than March to finish. Others have projects done for clients (museums, for example) that must be maintained and updated after the March date.

Unfortunately, those developers who rented the software seem to be out of luck. They contacted Adobe, and asked for some lenience. But they will lose access to Director and with it lose access to their projects sometime this year.

Director first entered the market in 1985(!). The oldest surviving 'multimedia' producer is now dead. There are no guarantees for software survival. But Director users with a perpetual license may continue to use the software to open their older projects - renters ("subscribers") are at a distinct disadvantage in these type of situations.

I agree with @Rayek on this one!
That paid subscription model - quite on the contrary guarantees that one day you will no longer be able to open your game project. History has shown us many times - users being left out to dry
It does not in any way help your project or you. It's there simply to lock you on continued payment, regardless if you actually make money from the game engine or not or need to update it for new features.

I would be ok if the rent payments were so that the engine gets new features. But they really aren't - the developer can then continue charging you simply for using the software. Once they have enough users locked to that model, they will no longer worry about meeting any feature requests - as pressure on their side to improve the software so people buy the update is gone.

One day when they decide to drop support for the software, even if you want to pay rent- you will be locked out of the house - with all of your stuff still in it.

However, remember that there is also an offline version which will continue to work.

Scirra still has to confirm this. Right now they said that you won't be able to edit your projects after your subscription ended. I think that goes for the offline versions as well.

However, remember that there is also an offline version which will continue to work.

Scirra still has to confirm this. Right now they said that you won't be able to edit your projects after your subscription ended. I think that goes for the offline versions as well.

That should be enough of a reason not to buy into it. It makes the investment very shaky

I agree with @Rayek on this one!
That paid subscription model - quite on the contrary guarantees that one day you will no longer be able to open your game project. History has shown us many times - users being left out to dry
It does not in any way help your project or you. It's there simply to lock you on continued payment, regardless if you actually make money from the game engine or not or need to update it for new features.

I would be ok if the rent payments were so that the engine gets new features. But they really aren't - the developer can then continue charging you simply for using the software. Once they have enough users locked to that model, they will no longer worry about meeting any feature requests - as pressure on their side to improve the software so people buy the update is gone.

One day when they decide to drop support for the software, even if you want to pay rent- you will be locked out of the house - with all of your stuff still in it.

If Scirra goes away, and Chrome makes an update that breaks all your C2 games, how far up the creek will you be?

If scirra drops support for it one day, you will simply not be able to use the editor on any of your game projects- even if you want to pay.
The dependency on chrome is another factor altogether

If scirra drops support for it one day, you will simply not be able to use the editor on any of your game projects- even if you want to pay.
The dependency on chrome is another factor altogether

The only way that will happen is if Scirra goes out of business.
Understandably the thing they are likely to drop support of is the free version of C2.

[Tom]

So the risk you are looking to mitigate here is us going out of business and totally stopping support of our products?

If we did go completely out of business, shut the doors, and we all went and got other jobs and completely stopped selling Construct, Scirra is completely dissolved, at that point I don't see why we wouldn't give it away or open source it. I mean this event would currently appear to be highly unlikely.

As others have pointed out, even though Construct 2 is buy once, if we go under in the future and a new bug is introduced by Windows, Chrome or any other supporting software what then? This is a risk with ALL software.

Thats a problem you would have with any kind of software.