The official catalog store of assets and plugins for the Godot engine, known as the Godot Asset Store, has been launched after years of work and months of beta testing. This new catalog replaces the previous asset library (Asset Library) and is fully integrated with the Godot engine. Support for the Asset Store has already been added to the Godot 4.7 branch, which is currently undergoing beta testing. Currently, only free assets can be placed in the catalog, with plans to add support for paid products and a donation system in the future.
Compared to the previous Asset Library, the Asset Store introduces new features such as asset rating and reviews, access to download analytics, the ability to provide multiple versions for download, a changelog page, and support for tagging assets with custom tags. Users can log in to the Asset Store using their existing Godot infrastructure account, eliminating the need for a separate account creation.
Developers are encouraged to migrate their assets from the Asset Library to the Asset Store. The decision not to automatically transfer assets was made to respect author permissions, to host files on their own servers instead of third-party resources, and to avoid transferring outdated assets that are no longer supported. Access to the Asset Library will be maintained for older Godot engine versions, but will become read-only.
Initially hesitant to create its own asset catalog, the Godot Foundation ultimately launched the Asset Store to address various issues within the community. The launch of the Asset Store aims to eliminate confusion among users regarding recommended app stores, address copyright and abuse issues within directories, and streamline technical processes by integrating the asset catalog with other Godot services. The Asset Store is anticipated to improve the overall user experience and maintain a high standard of quality for assets and plugins within the Godot ecosystem.