Dundee-based YoYo Games has unveiled a new prize fund designed to encourage developers to take on Windows 8 using the firm's GameMaker: Studio tool.

The company has set aside a total of $12,000 to be split between 24 different developers, each of which will walk away with $500 in the form of a Visa gift card.

Developers looking to enter need to publish a game created using GameMaker: Studio on the Windows Store before 8 December.

The lucky few

Once the deadline has passed, a panel of judges from YoYo Games and Microsoft will choose up to eight developers from the US, eight from the UK and eight from the rest of the world.

The firm has warned that the prize pool is not guaranteed, however, as it has "reserved the right not to select a winner" if it so chooses.

Nonetheless, those that do come out on top will be selected based not only on the quality of their games, but also on how well they implement Windows 8 features such as snap view, live tiles and share functionality.

YoYo Games notes that the winning games must be 'consumer friendly', too.

Platform split

"Entrants must be aged 18 years or older, and are responsible for the registration fee required to become a Windows Store app publisher – $49 for individuals, $99 for companies," added the firm on its blog.

YoYo has also confirmed that Windows 8 apps made using its toolset "will not work on Windows Phone 8", but that CTO Russel Kay has suggested that "a Windows Phone 8 module may be sold separately in the future."

It's an interesting admission, if only because Microsoft's decision to break from Windows Phone 7 was one motivated by a move to build its successor around the Windows 8 kernel instead, allowing developers to code for both operating systems as the same time.

Nevertheless, the competition is free for GameMaker: Studio standard, professional and master collection customers to enter. More details can be found on YoYo's blog.