Questions tagged [legal]

As a business, game development is fraught with legal concerns and issues, especially on copyright, terms of service, and licensing fronts.

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For Google Play, what kinds documentation can I provide to prove I have permission to use a third party's music in my game?

I'm working on an indie rhythm game for Android that uses pre-existing music. We got the OK from the original artist to use said music on the condition that we release the game for free. However, ...
Neon Android's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
64 views

Old game remakes [duplicate]

Is there a way to legally get the rights for an old game for instance "Little Samson" or other games made by smaller companies to remake it and sell it or allow people to get it for free? ...
Retro Legends's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

Is it legal to published a game inspired by another? [duplicate]

I'm not asking as a question for legal advice for my own situation, I'm just curious. One of my favorite puzzle games is Devil Dice, an old PS1 title that had one sequel and then I believe the concept ...
gator's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
1 answer
126 views

How would someone validate authenticity of music samples?

I'm nowhere near ready for this step, but I prefer to gather information in advance, rather than waiting until it's necessary. I plan to ask any potential composers to provide their 2 best ...
Dillon Howard's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
138 views

Can I use DirectXTK12 commercially?

This question is about the licensing of DirectXTK. Is DirectXTK12 free for commercial use? I ask because I use it in my project, and I may want to go commercial in the future. If it is not, I'll ...
Preciado's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
242 views

Can a game use mythology-related names?

For instance can a game for collecting pets (such as cats, dogs, dragons, etc.)include a list of mythological names and then name the pets using these names?
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
147 views

Would it be okay to try to reverse engineer Spore as an experiment and publish the results on-line?

Game in question is Spore. I'm fascinated by space and this game has been my favorite for years. Now, I would try to reverse engineer as much as I can as an experiment because I am interested in ...
Sergej Zivkovic's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the legality of publishing a free game on itch.io under the age of 18?

I am planning on publishing my first game on itch.io and I need to know if this is legal. The game will be free and I don't plan on receiving any type of monetization on the game if that's important.
Saturn's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
648 views

Can I build & run Unity games on PS5 without registering?

So, I have a question on building/running (B&R) Unity games for/on PS5. Specifically, this is only for educational/testing reasons with no intention to sell the games. Question: Is it legal to B&...
Enk9456's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
206 views

Why there are two different games with the same title?

I have found 2 games that have similar title called City Racing and City Racing 3D. Why this game have a same title? A Russian developer EA Group creating this game before the Chinese developers does. ...
MuhammadOkky6486's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
143 views

Can a game have characters named after video game franchises?

The video game Battlerite, a free to play team brawler, includes a hero called "Destiny", essentially named after the Destiny video game franchise. Is this legal, and why it is not a ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
168 views

Copyright/trademark protections of character classes

I want to create a game that uses character classes from World of Warcraft. Are the classes protected by copyright/trademark law? For instance WoW has a Warlock class that is essentially a spell-...
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
220 views

What is the legality of in-game composed music?

Assume there is an MMO with a feature similar to Mario Paint Composer, where you can create music with original instrument samples. Would the players be able to share and play (in-game) the music they ...
Mergan's user avatar
  • 21
8 votes
3 answers
4k views

In what ways do lawyers and others involved in the legal field impact game development?

Most people have a general idea about what programmers, artists, designers and musicians do in the industry, but I’ve seldom heard about how the law and lawyers impact game development. I’m especially ...
Ginger and Lavender's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
146 views

Is it okay to describe what software was used to develop the game in the credits screen?

I'm making a racing game, I've made my own game engine from scratch, but not the tools for building the game assets such as textures, 3D models, etc. And I was thinking, I have this credits scene at ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
41 views

Looking to build a game that uses names of Premier League teams - what are the steps required to stay compliant

I am looking to build a game that users would play weekly. In order for the game to make sense, I would have to display the names of the 20 Premier League teams playing on a weekly basis. I will not ...
karancan's user avatar
  • 111
3 votes
2 answers
869 views

Is attribution sufficient for a CC BY-SA 3.0-licenced font in a video game?

I'm creating a video game I intend to sell on computers, and I want to use a font that is under the license "Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)". Do I have to sell my game ...
LivingPlasma's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
327 views

Is it a legal concern if a procedural name generator might generate the names of real people?

(This question is similar in spirit to this question, but I think this case is sufficiently different and specific enough to warrant a new question.) Background In one of my current side projects, I ...
Sciborg's user avatar
  • 584
0 votes
0 answers
24 views

Can i remove the default splash screen of someone else project by publishing it using my unity plus? [duplicate]

If i use my unity plus to remove the default splash screen from someone else project (that person are using free version of unity) , then export the project also using my unity plus , what are the ...
i'm ashamed with what i asked's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
88 views

Would making a satirical version of someone else's character get me sued? [closed]

Licensing the rights to a popular character is definitely a hard process. Rather than licensing the rights to (insert hero here), what if I were to make a satirical version of the IP owner's character(...
WG481's user avatar
  • 283
0 votes
1 answer
65 views

If I use someone else's idea (not work, an *idea*), do I have to give them credit?

Ideas are everywhere for games, products, algorithms, etc. In hypothetical terms, let's say user number x posts on (insert social media site here) that they would like to see a game about (insert game ...
WG481's user avatar
  • 283
-1 votes
1 answer
86 views

can I legally make a "RTX game"

I'm making a game called "karlson RTX", a remake of the game "karlson" by danidev, but it has "RTX" in the name and the game starts with a the way it's meant to be played ...
EverythingLeafwing's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
57 views

Using name and 3d models of real product

I'm making tycoon game where you manage your shop. I'm not 3d modeler and purchase most of assets. I managed to find all 3d assets required for making game. All are having license to allow use for ...
paul p's user avatar
  • 380
2 votes
1 answer
134 views

What is the legality regarding allowing players to mod a game with real-life players in a sports game?

Let's say I'm doing an Indie sports game, and ship it with fictional players, but make the game capable of reading a config file, so that players are able to edit in real names to suit themselves. The ...
Tom Davies's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
128 views

Legal to make and sell a game engine made with Unity3D?

does anyone know if it's legally sound to create a game engine within unity, build it as a standalone and sell it as a product? The engine would allow users to compile their own games through it. It ...
Swans's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
173 views

Questions regarding using (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) and (CC BY-NC 4.0) music for a completely free game (not Freemium)

I am in the process of developing a small video game for a game-jam on itch.io. The game-jam requires the developer to first make a github repository, upload all the source code and material (...
iam-9's user avatar
  • 13
0 votes
0 answers
584 views

Want to create pokemon fan-game, need advice on copyright [duplicate]

I want to create a pokemon text game. Obviously I will use various stuff that belongs to Nintendo, like pokemon, professor, region names and sprites from the games. Can Nintendo sue me or take down my ...
Lagoat's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
2 answers
96 views

How much of a game can be protected by law? [duplicate]

I want to remake an old multiplayer game in commercial way and I wonder how different my game has to be not to violate some IP rights. I know so far that name and logo are registered trademarks of the ...
GKozinski's user avatar
  • 133
0 votes
1 answer
122 views

Can I publish a non-commercial game that uses assets from a 30 years old Konami game on Steam, Google Play and App Store?

Do major platforms like Google Play, App Store, and Steam allow apps to use assets without owner permission in case of 100% non-commercial releases? Do companies like Konami care?
mzg's user avatar
  • 3
5 votes
1 answer
116 views

Workflow for accountable file transfers between freelancer and developer

I'm an indie game developer and I often hire freelancers for artwork. We sign an agreement to basically state that I'd get ownership of the resources they produce. I'm a fairly picky person when it ...
Saturn's user avatar
  • 1,741
-3 votes
1 answer
64 views

Can I bring features of an Android game into another Android game?

Platform : Android Overview : Fifa 14 by EA sports has a manager mode, kick off and tournament mode in it, which was the last game of its series on android to have these features. Fifa 16 has great ...
Thinkgood's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
104 views

In my browser game's website description, can I use a title of another game?

For instance, if I think my game is a cross between Age of Empires and Minesweeper, can I have written on the description of my website "A browser-based hybrid of Age of Empires and Minesweeper&...
Benjamin Linn's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
135 views

Can I mention other games' titles, characters, maps, weapons etc. in my game?

Let's say I was about to make a quiz game where the questions are like this: When was Fallout 4 released? What is your first pickaxe in Minecraft? Who do you have to kill as the last boss in Skyrim? ...
Hydraxia's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
377 views

what is the legality behind "openMW" ( an open source implementation of morrowind)

knowing bethesda those people probably sue hard....yet there is an open source implementation of morrowind which is actually quite good. but that question remains, what is the legality behind all of ...
mpo admin's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
121 views

I am creating a Tetris clone on Khanacademy, will I get into trouble? [duplicate]

For those don't know, Khanacademy is an education site that also has lessons on simple computer programming and allows you to publish your own games that are made on the website.
Michael Liu's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
345 views

Can i use the same name for a spell in my game that already exists in another game

what does trademarks and copyrights contain. how similar can a name be to a name that already exists.
user138617's user avatar
24 votes
1 answer
6k views

How can I create an exclusive asset for multiple clients who all want basically the same thing?

This is more of a legal question than for example a coding question, but I hope that it's allowed as well. I recently started working as a freelance VFX Artist and do a lot of work with shaders and ...
iQew's user avatar
  • 460
1 vote
1 answer
156 views

Game Similarity Legal Consequences [duplicate]

I'm already half a year into planning a Turn Based Strategy (4X) game for mobile phones. Recently I tried to play Civilization 6 and while playing, totally horrified, I realized that my idea and Civ 6 ...
Patrik Bašo's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
468 views

When does a Reference become Copyright Infringement?

I've seen quite a few posts on here similar to my question, but I am still having doubts about my implementation of an Easter Egg. In the background of my game, There is a bookshelf, purely for ...
Keegan Sommer's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

Is It Okay To Use Real Designs In My 2D Game? [Cars and Weapons] [duplicate]

I am making a 2D mobile game that includes cars and weapons (like GTA let's say). I am using real car and weapons designs to make 2D images, however, I use made-up names for the both cars and the ...
Developer505's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
452 views

My game got stolen, what do I do?

I recently released my first game on the Google Play Store (yay!), and a few days later I found my game had been reuploaded to two different shady-looking sites (Softonic and Fibonapps). Needless to ...
Schliam's user avatar
  • 41
1 vote
2 answers
232 views

Should I get an official content rating, like from the ESRB, or just rate my game myself?

I'm developing a game out of my garage basically with the intention of selling it on my own website and hopefully on Steam, and I've been wondering if I should try to get it rated by an official ...
BladePoint's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

Legal status of games with similar titles [closed]

I've been working on a game for around a year and a half named Planetfall, in which you build a colony on a new planet. I've bee working on it with that title since before the announcement of Age of ...
PixelArtDragon's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
361 views

How do I get rights to an game? [duplicate]

I' looking to get rights to an game called Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. I am a Nintendo 3DS Developer trying to make a remastered version for the Nintendo 3DS. How would I go ...
Black Cat's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
78 views

Can I sample audio sources from others without asking?

As the title says, would it be considered legal if I take a part of an audio source (any media like music, dialog, video, etc.) to use in a project, whether it is for commercial or non-commercial ...
Locke Cole's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
3k views

How can I open source my Unity project when I use third party assets?

I know you are not allowed to open source a Unity project that contains asset store items that are either paid or under the default license. I am just wondering if there's any way to make my git ...
Daniel Marques's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
150 views

Is it ok to remake a 2D game into first person and then releasing it for free? [duplicate]

I saw a video online where someone made a first person version of flappy bird, so I was wondering... If I were to remake a 2D game into a 3D game and change the perspective to first person, and then ...
user129935's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
368 views

Is it legal to develop a game using software which is unavailable in my region due to legal reasons?

I was wondering: what would happen if I published a game while the software I used is not available in my area? I was planning to make a game using Unity Personal, and it just happened that it's not ...
user9180910's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
30 views

Can I give vehicles its real names? (e.g. Skoda, Tatra) [duplicate]

I'm working on a simulator of old USSR transport. But my boss is telling me that I can't put real names on vehicles, but don't get me any proofs of it. I know that you can't put real human names and ...
Ilya  Pakhmutov's user avatar
-6 votes
2 answers
669 views

Is it legal to make a fan game but only publish the gameplay?

If I make a fan game that uses copyrighted material, sounds, dialogues etc. from other games but only ever upload the gameplay/walkthrough of the fangame to Youtube without publishing it anywhere else,...
GuestFangame111's user avatar

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