Business

The Anatomy of a Severance Agreement: What Every Game Studio Should Get Right

By / July 8, 2026

Layoffs and restructurings across the games industry have become a recurring feature of the business, and each one puts a spotlight on a document most studios only think carefully about when they need it: the severance agreement. For the studio or publisher offering it, a severance agreement is the primary tool for closing out an …

The Anatomy of a Severance Agreement: What Every Game Studio Should Get Right Read More »

Self-Publishing: 5 Key Things Developers Need To Know

By / June 25, 2026

Publishers do a lot of things developers complain about: they take a cut of revenue, they have approval rights over content, they can move slowly, and they sometimes lose interest in the game after launch. However, publishers also absorb a significant amount of legal and administrative work that most developers never see. Self-publishing means that …

Self-Publishing: 5 Key Things Developers Need To Know Read More »

What Creators Should Know About Platform Licenses and AI Training

By / June 17, 2026

Here is a sentence that makes everyone feel warm and cozy: “You retain ownership rights in your content.” Almost all platform’s terms of service include some version of this, and in each case, it is technically true. The copyright is yours. You can register it, license it elsewhere, and sue an infringer who is not …

What Creators Should Know About Platform Licenses and AI Training Read More »

VTuber IP 201: DMCA Strategy and Personal Privacy

By / June 9, 2026

In our “VTuber IP 101: Protecting Avatars, Content, and Branding” blog post, we talked about what intellectual property rights VTubers already have, when they have to register those rights, and what protections different intellectual property rights give. We also briefly mentioned certain legal actions that VTubers can take after they establish their rights. When it …

VTuber IP 201: DMCA Strategy and Personal Privacy Read More »

The Mass Arbitration Problem

By / May 27, 2026

Arbitration clauses are reasonably common in Terms of Service and EULAs. The logic has always been that keeping disputes out of court, keeping them more confidential, avoiding class actions and resolving claims faster and cheaper, is good. But recent cases involving Valve, Epic Games and Roblox illustrate the unintended risks of arbitration provisions. A Clause …

The Mass Arbitration Problem Read More »

Read Before Signing: Why Developers Should Negotiate Portfolio Rights Up Front

By / May 19, 2026

When a developer joins a studio, whether as a full-time employee or an independent contractor, a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement (NDA) is often part of the onboarding paperwork. NDAs are typical as studios want to protect unreleased games, proprietary technology, and internal processes. But developers who sign an NDA without reading carefully may find themselves …

Read Before Signing: Why Developers Should Negotiate Portfolio Rights Up Front Read More »

Tariff Update: The CAPE Refund Process Is Live. Who Actually Gets the Money?

By / May 13, 2026

There have been some major updates on the United States tariff front since the previous post on this topic went up. The biggest inflection point came from the highest court in the land, with the Supreme Court ruling in Learning Resources, Inc. v Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize …

Tariff Update: The CAPE Refund Process Is Live. Who Actually Gets the Money? Read More »

Joint Ownership in Tabletop Games

By / May 5, 2026

Tabletop game creators and designers often work flexibly. It is not uncommon for even successful tabletop game designers to have a day job, collaborate with other tabletop game designers, work as freelancers, serve as consultants, and be involved in multiple projects. Oftentimes, tabletop game designers may collaborate with other tabletop game designers to jointly develop …

Joint Ownership in Tabletop Games Read More »