FAQs for Flash Player premium features for gaming

What is Adobe announcing and why?

Adobe is announcing the availability of premium features for Flash Player for publishers and commercial game developers to target their most advanced games to the Flash Player. These premium features give access to cross compilation APIs that now allow them to target Flash Player from something other than a native ActionScript workflow.

By using the cross compilation APIs, game publishers can deliver their back catalog of games or existing assets to a much broader audience via Flash Player, thereby creating new revenue streams while maintaining the same development workflow. C/C++ developers don’t have to learn new languages, and are able to reduce their development costs while expanding their reach to over 1 billion connected users with Flash Player.

What’s New since March 2012?

To give publishers and developers ample time to implement usage of Adobe Premium Features, we are moving the previously communicated licensing deadline of July 31, 2012 to coincide with the launch of our Premium Features for Flash Player Licensing site in August of 2012. Content which uses the premium features that is publicly released prior to the availability of the site will be exempt, and will receive royalty-free licenses. Once the site is available, publishers and developers will need to license their content. Following a period of at least 8 weeks after the launch of this site, content that attempts to leverage Premium Features without a license agreement will revert to software rendering.

What are the premium features?

The initial version of premium features includes the cross compilation APIs (domain memory APIs in combination with Stage3D hardware acceleration APIs), and allows C/C++ developers and other developers using 3rd party tools to use these cross compilation APIs to target Flash Player for the distribution of their games.

What use cases are NOT part of the premium feature terms?

The following uses are NOT considered premium:

1. Use of domain memory alone,
2. Use of hardware accelerated Stage3D features alone,
3. Use of software rendering of Stage3D, or
4. Use of these features within SWF content packaged as apps using Adobe AIR

Other existing Flash Player capabilities are not impacted by the premium features terms, and developers can continue to use all of the great features of Flash Player that power today's experiences on the web, to reach over 1.3 billion PCs, royalty free. Adobe will continue to advance both the core platform capabilities and the new premium features to allow any developer to deliver rich games and experiences more easily to more people than any other platform.

The premium capabilities will be marketed to game publishers and developers with a business model that continues to encourage use and experimentation:

• There will be no charge for premium feature use when deploying games through the desktop browser using Adobe Flash Player to the first $50K in per application net revenues.
• Adobe will charge developers and publishers a 9% revenue share on per application net revenues above $50K for use of the premium capabilities when deploying games through the desktop browser using Adobe Flash Player.

To ensure the success of existing content and projects currently under development, Adobe will extend exemptions for content publicly released prior to the launch of the Premium Features for Flash Player licensing site.

What are the benefits of the premium features?

The initial version of the premium features will benefit resource intensive games and applications by providing publishers and game developers access to domain memory, which are required for cross-compilers such as "Alchemy," in combination with hardware accelerated Stage3D. Adobe will continue to advance the premium features capabilities, in addition to the core platform capabilities, to provide a foundation that allows any game developer to deliver rich games and experiences more easily to more people than any other platform.

What is the price of the premium features?

The premium features are priced to encourage use and experimentation, and there will be no charge for premium features use for the first $50K in per application revenues. A 9% revenue share on Flash Player related application revenues that exceed the threshold of $50K will be calculated based on revenues received by the publisher or game developer from an application, including application sales, in-app purchases, subscription fees, sponsorship, advertising fees received for advertising in, or related to, the application, less actual payment processing fees (e.g. PayPal, credit card fees), any applicable taxes (e.g. VAT) and Facebook network or other social network platform fees.

For example, if a publisher or developer publishes an application on the Facebook social platform and receives $75K from Facebook after Facebook collects its platform fee and any payment processing fees, the developer would calculate the initial royalty fee due to Adobe for the application as follows: ($75K-50K) x 9% = $2,250.

Or, if a publisher or developer publishes an application on his/her own destination (such as on their own website) and collects revenue directly from user or advertisers, the publisher or developer would calculate the initial payment to Adobe for the application by first subtracting any actual payment processing fees and taxes from the gross amount received, and then subtracting the initial $50K, and calculating 9% of the net amount.

We believe nearly all existing content will not be impacted by these changes. However, to ensure the success of existing content and projects currently under development, Adobe will extend exemptions for content publicly released prior to the launch of the Adobe Premium Features for Flash Player licensing site in August of 2012. Adobe will provide a minimum of 8 weeks after the launch before enforcing the technical restrictions for developers to obtain a premium features license.

For more information about the terms, please visit www.adobe.com/go/fpl.

Are there alternate licensing options other than revenue share?

Yes, if you would like to discuss alternate licensing options, please contact us at fpl@adobe.com

Are there plans for additional features in the premium tier of capabilities?

Yes, Adobe plans to develop new premium capabilities, as well as the core platform features, to provide a foundation that allows any game developer to deliver rich games and experiences more easily to more people than any other platform. In order to continuously innovate and support gaming as the market evolves, Flash Player will provide key premium capabilities that will be delivered incrementally with each release. However, not all developers are expected to need premium capabilities to deliver great games and experiences on the web.

Adobe, from time to time, publishes a high level roadmap to provide guidance as well as insight into Adobe's current thinking and plans around core functionality contained within Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR. Features will be designated as premium or part of the standard set of capabilities prior to the final release of the capability, and may be pre-announced through the roadmap, or during pre-release periods.

How do I get a license for the cross compilation APIs? When will licenses for the cross compilation APIs be available?

Adobe will provide a licensing site through which developers can gain access to the premium features. Developers and publishers will be able to acquire licenses prior to the end of August 2012, and we will provide updates on the process in August.

If you have questions about how this may impact a project under development, please contact fpl@adobe.com.

If I use the cross compilation APIs in my native AIR applications, will the premium terms apply?

No, the initial version of premium features - the use of the cross compilation APIs - is available for use within AIR applications at no charge.

What will happen to my content if I don’t register and I am using the domain memory and Stage3D APIs together?

8 weeks after the launch of the Adobe Premium Features for Flash Player licensing site, your content will revert to software rendered Stage3D. Please review the documentation for the Flash Player 11.4 beta for more information. If your content requires the use of premium features, you will need to acquire a license.

What will happen to my content if I am only using the domain memory APIs and not the Stage3D APIs?

If you are using the domain memory APIs, and not Stage3D APIs, your content will be unaffected. You are not using the premium capabilities, and use of the domain memory is made available at no charge.

What will happen to my content if I am only using Stage3D APIs and not the domain memory?

If you are using the Stage3D APIs and not the domain memory, your content will be unaffected and will have access to hardware acceleration when available on the system. You are not using the premium capabilities, and use of hardware accelerated Stage3D is made available at no charge.

How will 2D content that is built on the Stage3D APIs be affected (such as content that uses the Starling or Away3D frameworks)?

Content created using Stage3D—including 2D content such as content created with the Starling or Away3D frameworks—will NOT require a premium capabilities license unless the content also uses domain memory. If you are not using domain memory, you are not using premium capabilities in Flash Player, and use of Stage3D hardware acceleration is available at no charge. In addition, there is no charge to use premium features in Adobe AIR applications (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac applications packaged with AIR).

How will the cross compilation APIs work with 3rd party tools and engines like Unity?

Third party game development tools and engines may require use of the cross compilation APIs to enable the level of performance required for their engine or content. Unity intends to integrate with the cross compilation APIs to support publishing content to Flash Player, and use of the premium features are expected to be transparent to developers. Content that leverages the cross compilation APIs will require a license key to execute in Flash Player, whether the developer calls the APIs directly or through the use of an engine or tool.

If you are a tools, middleware, or game engine provider, please contact us at fpl@adobe.com for more information on how to leverage the Alchemy project or cross compilation APIs to target Flash Player.

How do the terms apply to tools that leverage the premium capabilities such as like HAXE, Azoth and Apparat?

If developers create content using 3rd party tools that leverage the premium capabilities, the content will need to have a license from Adobe to run correctly in Flash Player. Otherwise, the content is unaffected.

If you are a tools, middleware, or game engine provider, please contact us at fpl@adobe.com for more information on how to leverage the cross compilation APIs to target Flash Player.

Adobe is providing royalty free licenses for content that is released publicly prior to the availability of the licensing site for the Premium Features for Flash Player in August. These terms will be specified in the agreement when you apply for your license.

I have a project currently under development that uses the cross compilation APIs which will launch in the August timeframe. How do I apply for exemptions from the premium feature terms?

Adobe is providing royalty-free licenses for content that is publicly released prior to the August availability of the licensing website. Contact us at fpl@adobe.com for more details.

I have a project that uses the cross compilation APIs that will be released as a beta in the August timeframe. Will that content qualify for an exemption from the premium feature terms?

If the beta is open and available to the general public, the content will be eligible for an exemption from the premium features. Closed betas, or betas where users must apply and may not be accepted, do not qualify for the exemption.

I have a project currently under development that uses the cross compilation APIs which will launch shortly after the end of August. Can I apply for an exemption from the premium feature terms?

Adobe understands there may be planned projects that are under active development and is interested in supporting your success. Please contact us at fpl@adobe.com to discuss your specific case and licensing options.

Are all new features going to be considered premium? How will I know whether a feature is premium or not?

Other than the cross compilation APIs (domain memory and hardware accelerated Stage3D), existing Flash Player capabilities are not impacted by the new terms. Adobe, from time to time, publishes a high level roadmap to provide guidance as well as insight into Adobe's current thinking and plans around core Flash functionality contained within Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR. Adobe will continue to advance the core platform capabilities and introduce new premium features and services to provide a foundation that allows any game developer to deliver rich games and experiences more easily to more people than any other platform. Features will be designated as premium or part of the standard set of capabilities prior to the final release of the capability, and may be pre-announced through the roadmap, or during pre-release periods.

Will there be any other existing features that will be under premium feature licensing in the future?

No, other than the cross compilation APIs (domain memory used in combination with hardware accelerated Stage3D), existing Flash Player capabilities are not impacted by the new terms and we have no intent to change that in the future. As they are introduced to Flash Player, we plan to designate new features as premium or part of the standard set of capabilities prior to the final release of the capability, and may pre-announce through the roadmap, or during pre-release periods.

Which tools do I use to take advantage of the cross compilation APIs?

The "Alchemy" domain memory opcodes have been developed to enable cross-compilation of C/C++ code to Flash Player and AIR. Developers that use tools from Unity and other 3rd party tools to publish to Flash Player will leverage the premium features through the tools. The cross compilation APIs will not be required by ActionScript developers using Flash Professional, Flash Builder, and other third-party ActionScript tools.

How do I get started with Adobe tools for game development?

Flash technologies are powered by the intuitive, powerful ActionScript 3 (AS3) programming language. To start developing, download Adobe® Flash® Builder® 4.6 Premium software, a productive cross-platform ActionScript editor. Developers can get a free 60-day trial. If you're a current student or faculty member in school, you can get a free academic license.

You can also download Adobe® Flash® Professional CS6 to author game assets, animations, sprite sheets, and more. There is a free 30-day trial available.

For more information on how to get started, visit http://gaming.adobe.com/getstarted/

How do I get started with the Unity tools?

Unity 3.5 includes a preview of a new Adobe Flash deployment add-on. You can download Unity 3.5 here: http://unity3d.com/#flash

Where should I go for more information about the premium features?

Please visit this page for more information about the premium features and program terms.

What are the domain memory APIs?

In 2009, Adobe released a preview of the project code named "Alchemy", a prototype of a C/C++ cross-compiler that targets Flash Player. As part of the research project, we introduced a new domain memory API to support the compiler. In September 2011, we announced plans to invest in the technology and release it as part of a paid production offering for commercial development.

When will the commercial version of the project "Alchemy" be available?

We have not announced a release date for the commercial version of the Alchemy compiler. Developers that are interested in joining the pre-release program can find out more about Alchemy here.

Is Alchemy part of the new premium tier of features?

No, project "Alchemy" is a cross-compiler that leverages domain memory to compile C/C++ to ActionScript. Content that leverages the premium capabilities will be subject to the premium API terms of use. "Alchemy" is currently available as a pre-release product, final license terms for use will be provided upon the initial commercial release.

Will there be a way to leverage the domain memory from ActionScript 3 or will "Alchemy" be the only way to access domain memory?

We do not believe developers should have to use C/C++ to get faster performance. Exposing similar low-level domain memory from AS3 would be a temporary, inelegant approach that we do not want to rely on longer term in ActionScript. Instead, we intend to improve the general performance of ActionScript while retaining its simplicity and approachability. Developers can use third party tools, such as Unity, to leverage domain memory in addition to the Project "Alchemy" C/C++ compiler.

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