Development for PlayStation®4 console

Due to licensing restrictions, access to Defold versions with support for game development on PS4™ is not included in the standard version of Defold. In order to get access to versions of Defold with PS4™ game development support you need to be registered as a licensed PS4™ game developer.

Registering as developer for PS4™ game development

You can register as a game developer for PS4™ game development from the PlayStation™ Partners page

When you have been approved by Sony you will get access to the Playstation®4 DevNet. Navigate to Development > Tools & Middleware > Tools & Middleware directory > Defold. Click the ‘Confirm Status’ button.

PS4™ access in Defold

Once we have received confirmation of your status as a licensed developer for PS4™ we offer two tiers of access in Defold:

• Standard access - PS4™ extension, build tools and support.
• Source code access - PS4™ extension, build tools and support AND source code access to the PS4™ specific parts of the Defold engine.

Standard access

Access to versions of Defold with PS4™ game development support is provided free of charge to all developers licensed on PS4™. As a licensed developer we will provide you with access to:

• Extension with PS4™ specific API integrations.
• Command line tool with support for building to the PS4™ console.
• Forum where you are able to get PS4™ specific support.

Source code access

Source code access is only provided to approved PS4™ developers with active monthly community donation for an amount which gives you source code access.

FAQ

Q: Why is console source code access not free?

A: One of the objectives of the Defold Foundation is to make sure that the Defold software is available to developers world-wide and that the source code is available free of charge. The Defold Foundation will never compromise on this objective, but in this case access to the PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch SDK, tools and resources is strictly controlled by Sony and Nintendo. This means that the source code for the console platform implementations in Defold, including the editor and command line tools, can not be made available. This also means that the Defold Foundation is unable to receive community contributions to the code and documentation and it is the foundation which must provide all of the support and updates to the platform for as long as it is required to. The console source code access fee will help ensure that the foundation has the resources necessary to support the platform.

Q: Do I need to install additional tools to build for consoles?

A: You will be able to create application bundles from the command line tools. Information about how to test on PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch hardware will be provided to you when you are given access to the respective platforms.

Q: Is it still easy to use a single code base if I decide to also target consoles?

A: Yes, all of the standard Defold API functions are available also for the console platforms. In addition to the standard functionality you will also have access to a couple of PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch specific functions, but in general the code should be able to remain exactly the same across multiple platforms.