Even as Flash recedes from the mobile space, Adobe is charging on with Flash as a gaming and premium video platform. A few months back Adobe revealed its plans to monetise the Flash Platform by charging developers for using a new set of premium Flash Player features. Now they have released more information about how people can go about getting a license and have opened up the licensing service.
This is an entirely different model from before where the Flash Player was entirely free and open to all, and Adobe charged for content creation tools such as Flash Professional and Flash Builder.
The Flash Player is still a free download for all, and Flash Professional and Flash Builder are still paid products, however Adobe had added a new licensing scheme for Flash content that uses certain features of the Flash Player platform. This is a bit like Apple allowing developers to create and sell apps for iOS without charging any royalties, but charging applications if they use specific features such as the accelerometer. On one had most developers pay nothing, on the other hand some developers are being charged for accessing features on your device.
Currently the only Flash Player feature that requires a premium license is using the domain memory API with the Stage3D API. Only these features used in combination require a license. Each of these used individually does not need a license. For those who aren’t aware, the Stage3D API is Flash Player’s new 3D hardware acceleration API for developing games and other 3D content and was introduced in Flash Player 11. Also note that using these features in Adobe AIR for desktop does not require a license—for obvious reasons.
This combination of features is referenced by Adobe as the XC APIs or the cross compilation APIs as they are used by content compiled to Flash from other languages, such as Unity or C / C++.
For developers using this feature, a license from Adobe is required. This in itself is free, and licensing royalties only come in if the content produces net revenue over $50,000 per application / game. At this point a 9% revenue share comes into effect. Any content publicly released before August 16th 2012, will get a royalty-free license. Additionally this licensing system will only come in effect on 1st November 2012.
Adobe claims that no current features will even become premium, however new premium features may be added in the future, and those will be announced beforehand. For now those seeking a license for these features just need to apply for a license here.
Also announced is the new Flash Runtime C++ Compiler (flascc) which can have covered separately.
