Sony PlayStation development

The Defold Foundation is an approved PlayStation® Middleware provider and we are actively working on a Sony PlayStation® port of Defold. We expect this work to be completed by the end of Q4 2022.

Due to Sony licensing restrictions access to Defold versions with support for the Sony PlayStation® platform is not included in the standard version of Defold. In order to get access to versions of Defold with Sony PlayStation® support you need to become an approved game developer for Sony PlayStation®.

Registering as a Sony Playstation developer

You can register as a game developer for Sony Playstation at the Sony PlayStation® Partner page:

When you have been approved by Sony you will get access to the Tools and Middleware page of the Sony PlayStation® Developer Portal where you can sign up for Defold access. When you register for Defold access we will get an email from Sony verifying you as a registered Sony PlayStation® developer.

Sony Playstation access in Defold

Once we have confirmed your status as an approved Sony PlayStation® developer we offer two tiers of Sony PlayStation® access in Defold:

1. Standard access - Sony PlayStation® extension, build tools and support.
2. Source code access - Sony PlayStation® extension, build tools and support AND source code access to the Sony PlayStation® specific parts of the Defold engine.

Standard access

Access to versions of Defold with Sony PlayStation® support is provided free of charge to all developers approved by Sony. As an approved developer we will provide you with access to:

• Extension with Sony PlayStation® specific API integrations.
• Command line tool with support for bundling to the Sony PlayStation® platform.
• Forum where you are able to get Sony PlayStation® specific support.

Source code access

Source code access is only provided to approved developer with an 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 Sony PlayStation 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 Sony PlayStation 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 Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch specific functions, but in general the code should be able to remain exactly the same across multiple platforms.