7 replies to this topic

[TheDemon]

I have posted before about trying to get ideas for a sonic video game that I wanted to develop. I am currently a developer for the iPhone and I would love to be able to make a sonic the hedgehog game which included characters from archie and SatAm. It would be personnaly developed by me but I would have someone else do the art(seeing as I can't draw a stick figure to save my life) but I came here with a new question though. Would it even be possible for me to publish the game? It would be free because they are not my characters, but would SEGA's and Archie's copyright not allow me to make the game?

[Ther2view]

Ok, I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but you may want to check http://www.copyright.gov for the laws and such.

[TheDemon]

I skimmed through it. Im not a lawyer but basically I can make the game as long as I say that i dont own all the characters and they all belong to sega/archie. I would also need to get permission from sega and archie. I don't really see sega saying yes but I might make the game anyway and find someway of getting it out there as a fan made game. It just won't be through iTunes.

[LaserX5]

Interesting idea you have here.

It's sad that only fan games will be made of this cool genre.

[furrykef]

I skimmed through it. Im not a lawyer but basically I can make the game as long as I say that i dont own all the characters and they all belong to sega/archie.

...What?

I would also need to get permission from sega and archie.

That will not happen. I'm sorry, but big corporations never, ever say "yes" to this. So I don't know why you said "I can make the game as long as..." when this fact right here means that, legally, you can't.

Probably the most favorable response you can hope to receive from them is "We won't say yes, but we won't necessarily say no." But a simple "no" is also pretty likely.

I don't really see sega saying yes but I might make the game anyway and find someway of getting it out there as a fan made game. It just won't be through iTunes.

Sure, you can make it anyway. There are lots of people who just go ahead and do so. But you need to be aware that it's perfectly possible to be slapped with a "cease and desist" and then you're in a very tough spot, because "it's a fangame" would never hold up in court. From a legal standpoint, you're in the wrong, plain and simple. I think that's as silly as anybody else does, and if I had the passion, time, and motivation to make a fan game, I would. But you need to be aware of the risks. Remember that Streets of Rage fangame that got shut down that I mentioned? The development team spent eight years making it. Sega knew about it for all eight years and they never said anything until right after the game was actually released. (Since it was so soon after release, the game didn't get wide circulation.) Eight years of work down the drain because they couldn't be bothered to speak up until they "had" to.

[RedAuthar]

As far as I know, unless SEGA or Archie asks us not to, and we are NOT making money off it, we can make a SatAM game. If you want to sell one, you're gonna have to first get SEGA's permission.

[TheDemon]

Yeah I know I can't sell it even if I want too. If I do make it though it wouldn't be a major project of mine sadly it would cost too much because like I said before I'm an awful artist and I would have to hire some. Also since everyone in the world (for the people with apple products) would know it existed and I really don't see SEGA at all agreeing to the game. Sadly I'd bet archie would agree to it if it was of some decent quality (which I would have made). I'm going to make the design document for it anyways just in case someday I'd be able to make it. But seeing as this project wouldn't make me any money I'll just work on it in my spare time.

[Ther2view]

I wish you luck. I wish I could make a fan game, but I would not have time or resources.