Publish fan-made games on steam?

[vodkamikaze]

I was wondering if u can publish fan-made games on steam or is there a copyright law behind that or what?

[eddiepc]

depends what you mean by publish i suppose.i'd imagine it would be ok/fly under the rader,if it was a free game made with something like game maker studio or other software that lets you upload to the community workshop. but to go through greenlight or to actually get it listed as a paid game on steam then id think the copyright holders would issue a takedown/legal action.

[cinedine]

If you use assets of the original IP or even just mod the base game, you are breaking the ToS or commit copyright infringement. You have to ask for permission to use names, locations, graphics and other stuff from IPs or to modify a game.
Most right holdes won't give this permission or at best tell ignore your request as long as you don't use it commercially. That's why in the depths of the internet it's often "ask for forgiveness rather than permission". But as soon as you enter a commercial platform, you absolutely need permission or you'll face a Cease and Desist faster than you can say "Greenlight".

[LowJack_VA1]

Yes, anything that is not in the public domain has a copyright holder. So, you can't start creating Batman games and expect DC's lawyers not to visit you.

[Jej]

If you're planning on making a Capcom or Nintendo fan-made game, get ready for that CnD letter

[vodkamikaze]

ok guys, thanks for the heads up, i was thinking of making an Attack on titan fan game btw.

[LowJack_VA1]

I had an idea for a fan game based in the Thief universe and when Looking Glass died I contacted them to see if I could continue to do it. I was hoping Thief was in the public domain and LG told me that Eidos still owned the copyright and told me that they WILL defend their copyright. I dropped the whole thing.

[vodkamikaze]

Ok, so no matter what, its still copyrighted. thanks for the heads up guys

[LowJack_VA1]

Well, before you give up completely, why don't you try contacting the publisher Koei Tecmo and see what they say. The worst they can say is no.

[Black Blade]

Originally posted by LowJack_VA1:

Well, before you give up completely, why don't you try contacting the publisher Koei Tecmo and see what they say. The worst they can say is no.

Well they can also say いいえ but ya i do agree with you, best to try and connect them, you never know if they may agree

[vodkamikaze]

alright, thanks for the advice guys! :D

[ollie]

Ok, to sum up what has been said above, and what I know, some developers welcome fans making recreations. Although, some don't, so if you were to to ahead with it I would check with both the developers, and the publishers. You can find the developer's name along the side bar of a steam product where other information is located.

Also, if you wanted to directly publish it to steam, there are things that need to be taken into consideration. To actually get your game onto steam, you would need to submit it to Steam Greenlight, which then gives the steam community the chance to rate and play your game. To first submit your game to the Greenlight store there is a $100 Fee that gives you the rights to submit and update an unlimited amount of games on Steam. That money doesn't go to Valve, it all goes to charity, a good cause. While you collate that amount of money, Steam allows you to submit an early version of your game to be reviewed by users and you can make any improvements for a better outcome when you pay the fee.

Hope I helped.

[vodkamikaze]

ok, i get the jist of it now, thanks for all of the helpful comments

[ollie]

Originally posted by Daniel Robertson:

ok, i get the jist of it now, thanks for all of the helpful comments

Can I also ask how you plan to make the game as well? Like with what software?

[vodkamikaze]

I was planning to make it with Unreal engine

[HO LEE SHIT´]

+1