Mastering the Game - Commercial Video Game Agreements

Introduction

This webinar will review the intricate world of commercial video game agreements.

The games industry uniquely combines cutting-edge technology with creative storytelling, arts and interactive experiences, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in entertainment.

As legal professionals, lawyers must navigate a unique landscape where the digital and the traditional merge, meaning they adapt classic legal frameworks to the dynamic needs of game developers, publishers, and platforms.

The webinar will explore what sets video game contracts apart from other types of agreements.

It will cover the breadth of agreements essential to the development, publishing, and distribution of video games, dissecting the roles and responsibilities that distinguish developers from publishers and platforms and delving into specifics about the complex issues arising in these agreements.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Overview of the video game industry's legal landscape
• What makes doing games contracts different than other contracts?
• Importance of precise and comprehensive agreements
• Development and publishing agreements:
• Roles of developers v publishers v (if different) platforms
• Scope of work for developer and/or publisher
• Intellectual property rights and ownership
• Liability and indemnification clauses
• Compensation and payment terms/revenue sharing and financing arrangements
• Confidentiality clauses and data security
• Territoriality and platforms
• Termination and rights reversion
• Compliance with platform-specific requirements and policies
• Subcontractor/external development agreements:
• When and why subcontractors are used in game development
• Defining roles and responsibilities
• Flow-through rights, consistency and protection
• Special considerations:
• Platforms - consoles, PC, F2P/mobile, streaming
• Real-world money/microtransactions
• Porting, sequels, live services, and support
• Blockchain
• AI
• Non-Disclosure Agreements (‘NDAs’) - importance of proper use (not overuse) of NDAs in protecting sensitive information

This webinar was recorded on 10th October 2024

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