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The Playdate's been delayed, but you can start planning to make your own games for it early next year.

Bryant Francis, Senior Editor

November 11, 2021

1 Min Read
An image of Playdate's Pulp SDK

Playdate's post announcing the delay of its boutique portable console came with a bit of additional good news for experimental game developers. Starting in January 2022, devs will be able to access Pulp (the Playdate browser-based software development kit) open beta, with full SDK access coming in February 2022.

The Pulp development tool will allow anyone to develop Playdate games just by using a web browser, while the full Playdate SDK will be the tool of choice for developers wanting to work in C or Lua on Windows, Mac, and Linux. 

"Remember, the Pulp Public Beta can be enjoyed by anyone," the folks at Panic wrote in their update. "All you need is a web browser and an idea for a simple, tile-based game."

Panic hasn't quite spelled out yet how developers can get in on the platform's "Seasons" distribution system, but their website notes that sideloading games onto a Playdate will be "very easy." The Playdate's developer page also says that game-makers can sell their games in "any way [they] wish."

About the Author(s)

Bryant Francis

Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2.

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