+ Company Organization

Whether you are self-publishing or approaching larger publishers, you should form a development company. This can protect you from liability, make ownership of the game clear, and show that you are serious about making your game a success.

But forming a company can be complicated. The type of company you need depends on a number of factors, including team size, ownership, and complexity of the project. Forming a company with the advice of an attorney is an investment in making sure your game can launch smoothly down the road.

+ Contract Drafting

While it may be tempting to run a game studio informally, this can prove disastrous. Every stage of design involves contracts. There should be contracts between you, your co-creators, employees, licensors, publishers, and distributors. These protect your investment and make the relationships between everyone clear. Developing and publishing a game is a large undertaking and that legal clarity is an important part of the process.

+ Asset Clearance and Licensing

Licensing in the game development world is even more complex than in many other productions. Not only might you need to license music or artwork, the more technical aspects might need to be negotiated as well. Re-used code may need to be licensed. Similarly, game engines and platforms have different requirements for using or appearing on them. This shouldn't be your main focus: you want to be making the game in your head a reality. Hiring a lawyer to navigate licensing makes sense.

+ Copyright and Intellectual Property

Your game contains various types of intellectual property. The code, the art, the script, and more may be protected. But most protections require filing. Acting against pirate sites or other theft means thinking in advace of these issues. Your studio logo and name might also be protected to ensure that you only appear on products made and endorsed by you.

+ Negotiations with Publishers and Platforms

Platforms and publishers hold a lot of the power in game development. They set the rules and expect everyone to play by them. This makes it imperative to have a lawyer focused on your interests involved in negotiations and contract review.