I've been searching for a game engine that I could get up and running with quickly. I thought I'd found it in Construct 3.
However, the pricing model for this product is asinine.
I'll be the first to admit I've struggled with coding and this has meant I've had very slow progress with my game dev exploits thus far.
Given this pricing model I'm better off persevering with Unity or Gamemaker Studio 2 as both have decent visual scripting options, albeit not as intuitive as Construct.
I won't justify $170 a year for a recurring "personal and hobbyist" license. And to market that to me with the "save 58% on monthly pricing" tag is just kick in the teeth as to just how crazy this model is. $33 / month!!!!
I've had a successful career in business and marketing, I can't help but think this is a total own goal by the Construct team.
This engine is perfect for wannabe game dev's who can't code but can understand logic in the way presented by Construct 3. But the subscription model is just so mid 2000's.
I'm sure the owners of Construct would argue their model is due to being a small company and they need the revenue to fund growth. But this is small thinking - by a small company. A relatively small community is held back from growing by this crazy subscription policy.
Furthermore, what's the justification for a difference in price between a "personal" license and what is effectively a "personal business license", a solopreneur? What exactly am I getting for the privilege of paying you $229 versus $170? Because I called myself "CollyGames" instead of just plain "Colly" I get to give you an extra $59 more. Wow. Genius marketing.
It's asinine in the extreme. There's no added value to the customer. What idiot thought this made sense?
After all, how many devs would publish a game under their name? The vast majority would register a business name.
The whole thing just leaves a nasty taste and I can't help but think it's a missed opportunity to grow market share exponentially, especially given all the recent pricing upheaval in the industry, it just seems to compound the absurdity of this subscription model.
Great product. Insane pricing model.