Polraudio 122 Report post Posted March 29, 2017 Ok so when making a fan game there's huge to little risks involved. I will explain what can happen and how to avoid these things from happening. What Could Happen? When you release a fan game you could have a few things happen. Nothing: Nothing could happen to you if the company doesn't care. C&D(cease and desist): You could get a nasty letter or email telling you to stop or legal action will be taken if you continue. Legal Action: Usually only happens after a C&D but can happen without a C&D if it is to late for the C&D. Getting Hired: Very unlikely to happen so don't make a fan game with the hope to get hired. Common Error One of the most common errors people make when making a fan game is telling everyone they are making a fan game or even showing off the game before its released. Doing this gives the game company time to find out that you are making a fan game so they can send you that lovely C&D. Doing this is just like going out and telling everyone you are selling illegal drugs soon and will sell them once they get done growing(although you are most likely not selling a fan game but you get the point lol)... How To Avoid Getting Stopped The best possible thing you can do to avoid getting stopped while making a fan game is to keep your mouth zipped until release day. I know its hard to do but trust me its for the best to avoid that lovely C&D. But what if you do keep your mouth shut and just release the game will you get a C&D? Well its highly possible to get a C&D but is also possible they can just take legal action. Doesn't sound like fun to get all that way to be shut down right? So the chances are high to get shutdown and or legal action so how can i prevent that from happening? Well even if you used a different username its still possible to get caught because of your IP address. So if you want to prevent yourself from getting caught use a program like tor or a proxy or even a VPN to hide your IP. That way if the company wants to find out who you are they wont get your IP preventing them from getting your ISP info and asking them to send you a legal action or C&D letter. Tip: When using another/accounts NEVER EVER LOGIN OR CREATE THAT ACCOUNT WITHOUT USING TOR/PROXY/VPN!!!!. If you wish to remain anonymous keeping your IP out of the logs of those accounts is key so they will never figure out who you are there for can never take legal action against you and you can continue uploading and releasing copies of the game as much as you want. I dont support the use of copyrighted material and this is just guide to help people understand the risks involved in making a fan game. Im just pointing out common sense that people should already know about releasing a fan game. Hopefully this helped you out in some way and feel free to add to the discussion. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kitsuki 17 Report post Posted March 29, 2017 Nice post, Pol! I found this pretty interesting, since I've been in the business of making fangames for a while and haven't gotten any backlash for it. In fact (and, I think this is a result of creating fangames off of an anime rather than an existing game) there is a large group in the fanbase that makes RPG Maker games for this certain anime. I find it pretty interesting; I don't think many other fanbases have had an active part of the community making games independently for the franchise. The creator of the original webcomic/manga even doodled fanart for one of the earliest fangames that existed for his comic, although that was very early in the game — pun not intended. ; ) But he's a pretty chill dude. His manga is comedic, anyway, I have a hard time imagining the artist of Hetalia trying desperately to stop fans from making games off of his characters and stories. The fanbase has been making RPG Maker sprites and resources for his manga for years, now. But, well, he's an independent writer and artist. Corporations and actual game companies, on the other hand, I have no doubt that they are very eager to keep a hold on their materials. Especially if you're making a game with the materials of their games. I didn't really anticipate what your post would be talking about, so I think our two experiences with fangames, or seeing what has become of them, have been pretty different. For the brand that I'm familiar in, the only thing that could get you into the slightest of trouble is using a copyrighted track, and then posting a walkthrough of the fangame on YouTube. But all that will do is take your revenue, not give you a C&D. What troubles are run into the most, from your experience? And I'm curious, actually — what fangames have gotten into the risks/troubles you mentioned? It might be fun to go through those and see what happened to them and why. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Polraudio 122 Report post Posted March 30, 2017 It highly depends on the company and ofc what assets you use. If you are making a pokemon fan game it will get shutdown fast even if you completely make your own pikachu by drawing it yourself and not ripping it from something. That is because the company owns pikachu and the poekmon name. Companies tend to not want their name ruined by popular fan games(but with the age of the internet thats highly unlikely now). Someone could download the fan made game not knowing it was fan made and it could be complete crap. They will no longer buy stuff from that company because they now think the company is crap. It also depends on the community its self and the hype behind the fan game. If the community you are in is a small one and your game isn't generating that much hype chances are slim that you will be sent that C&D. But as soon as you get on that radar where everyone is talking about it chances are high you will get that C&D. A good example of a game that got taken down is Pokemon Uranium and the fan made Chrono Trigger Crimson Echoes(was almost complete but people released info on it way to early). Pokemon Uranium is also a good example of releasing it in masses so it cannot be fully shut down. You can still download Pokemon Uranium because fans of that fan game are keeping it alive and keep uploading it no matter how many times it gets removed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Polraudio 122 Report post Posted May 17, 2017 Just an interesting video talking about the legal stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShinGamix 1 Report post Posted May 29, 2017 (edited) All I have to say on this is the Story of Chrono Resurrection! https://youtu.be/stOhLvdJxV4 Edited May 29, 2017 by ShinGamix Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaboth 6 Report post Posted May 29, 2017 It highly depends on the company and ofc what assets you use. If you are making a pokemon fan game it will get shutdown fast even if you completely make your own pikachu by drawing it yourself and not ripping it from something. That is because the company owns pikachu and the poekmon name. Companies tend to not want their name ruined by popular fan games(but with the age of the internet thats highly unlikely now). Someone could download the fan made game not knowing it was fan made and it could be complete crap. They will no longer buy stuff from that company because they now think the company is crap. It also depends on the community its self and the hype behind the fan game. If the community you are in is a small one and your game isn't generating that much hype chances are slim that you will be sent that C&D. But as soon as you get on that radar where everyone is talking about it chances are high you will get that C&D. A good example of a game that got taken down is Pokemon Uranium and the fan made Chrono Trigger Crimson Echoes(was almost complete but people released info on it way to early). Pokemon Uranium is also a good example of releasing it in masses so it cannot be fully shut down. You can still download Pokemon Uranium because fans of that fan game are keeping it alive and keep uploading it no matter how many times it gets removed. Chrono Trigger Crimson Echoes was actually finished and released but you need to know where to find it and use an emulator though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaboth 6 Report post Posted May 29, 2017 All I have to say on this is the Story of Chrono Resurrection! https://youtu.be/stOhLvdJxV4 OMG, what wonderful work then bam a C&D..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaboth 6 Report post Posted May 29, 2017 Speaking of actually shutting up and getting something done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foY1eCqXP5g Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
