From the horse’s mouth: The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the non-profit, self-regulatory body that assigns ratings for video games and apps… The ESRB has been around since 1994, and it is, in short, a self-regulatory body. It works like the MPAA for film or the RIAA for music, assigning ratings to games as …
In the free eBook I recently released on game publishing, I wrote that music is a different animal than most other things because – in part – of the way the copyrights for music work. Here, I wanted to expand on that a bit. If a developer or publisher is looking to release an official …
When dealing with game publishing, the question should come up: what about future games or expansions, DLC, etc. related to the same game? Does the publisher have any rights to those? Does the publisher get a cut of the revenue? Who pays for their development? What about games not related to the first title? In …
Video Game publisher options on sequels, expansions and future works Read More »
Content review is when an attorney reviews your creation for potential legal issues. Legal content review for an author generally involves a reading of the article, story, book, etc., marking up any sensitive passages or excerpts, then discussing them with the author at length to vet the sourcing and evidence. Content review for film and tv …
Some game-to-movie adaptations are good, some are terrible. What do they all have in common? They all give developers grand ideas about how great a movie their game will make. Most games will never be movies. But they could. There are two main considerations here: (1) is the developer permitted to sell the movie rights …
In the FREE e-book – Key Provisions in Video Game Publishing Agreements, I have given an overview of publishing agreements. In this post, I will talk about an example financial model for one hypothetical publishing agreement. First, the hypothetical deal: The developer has a title they want to develop. They have invested $250,000 into developing …
Example compensation math in video game publishing Read More »
In the FREE e-book – Key Provisions in Video Game Publishing Agreements, I have given an overview of publishing agreements. In the next few weeks, I’ll elaborate on some of the themes in that book. I’ll also talk more about current trends and issues (the book focuses on overall concepts since trends change). Today, I’m …
Tomorrow, I will be fortunate enough to be speaking at the Southern Interactive Entertainment and Gaming Expo in Atlanta. I’ve been to the event before, and I am thrilled to be returning. I’ll be presenting on the following topic: 10 Legal Tips for Starting a New Studio The discussion will follow a skill tree, per …
My recently released eBook, Key Provisions in Video Game Publishing Agreements contains a lengthy discussion of intellectual property rights and how publishing agreements might address them. This post includes some samples of that section of the book, and some additional discussion. For more in depth discussion of these rights, get the FREE eBook now! What …
Copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights Read More »
[trx_columns count=”3″] [trx_column_item span=”2″ align=”left”] It’s announcement time: On Tuesday, September 19, I will be releasing an eBook: Update: It is here. Key Provisions in Video Game Publishing Agreements Are you a game developer sitting on an offer from a publisher? Are you a publisher facing a negotiation with a particularly important developer? This guide provides …
Coming Tuesday: eBook guide to game publishing agreements Read More »