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== What is a "licence" ==
== What is a "license" exactly? ==


Almost all games on Board Game Arena platform are adaptations of existing commercial "real" board games. To propose an adaption of one of this board game on a website, the right owners must grant a licence/authorization to this website.
Almost all games on the Board Game Arena platform are adaptations of existing commercial "real" board games. In order to host an adaptation of one of these board games on a website, the copyright owners must first grant a license/authorisation to this website.


== Are all games on BGA licenced by their respective right owners? ==
== Are all games on BGA licensed by their respective copyright owners? ==


Yes.
Yes, for all games that are not in the public domain, BGA has been granted an authorisation to create and host an online version.


== What if I start developing a game that is not on the "Available licences"? ==
== Where can I find a list of games for which a license has already been granted? ==


We allow developers to start any project on the Studio. But when your project is going to be live on BGA, it will be rejected during the review process.
[https://studio.boardgamearena.com/#!licensing Check the list of available licenses]


Exception: games on the public domain are of course not concerned.
(NB: this page is restricted to developers registered in BGA studio. You'll need to enter your BGA studio credentials to access it)
 
== What if I start developing a game that is not on the "Available licences" list? ==
 
We allow developers to start any project in the Studio. But when you submit your project to go live on BGA, it will be rejected during the review process if BGA doesn't hold a proper license for the game.
 
Exception: games in the public domain are of course not concerned.


== Wow, I WANT to develop a game on this list! ==
== Wow, I WANT to develop a game on this list! ==


Cool :)
Great! :)
 
But before creating a new project, please takes some seconds to check that someone is not already developing this game. If it is the case, maybe you can propose to join the project?


But before creating a new project please takes some seconds to check if someone is not already developing this game. If this is the case, maybe you can propose to join the project?
[http://studio.boardgamearena.com/projects Check the list of current projects]


[http://en.studio.boardgamearena.com/#!projects Check the list of current projects]
Also, first thing to do when starting a project of that list is to request the game image files. Sometimes we already have them, sometimes we'll have to ask the publisher. Since it can be a while between the time the publisher grants the license and when a developer starts a project, this contact also allows to check that everything is still ok on the licensing side.


== What has to be done to add a game on this list? ==
Try establishing a contact with the publisher or designer before developing a new game. To release the implementation as a public game, the publisher must approve the game during alpha test phase. Without publisher support your game will remain private indefinitely.


The right owners has to give an licence/authorization to BGA.
== What needs to be done to add a game on this list? ==


Publishers do not have to pay anything to BGA for this, they just have to give their "go". Most of the time, publishers wants to have a formal agreement and we signed a contract.
The copyright owners have to give an license/authorisation to BGA.


'''Important''': you CAN'T take the initiative to ask a licence authorization on behalf of BGA, because the authorization has to be granted to BGA (read more below).
Publishers do not have to pay anything to BGA for this, they just need to give their "go". Most of the time, publishers want to have a formal agreement and we sign a contract with them.


== Why all best-sellers games I love are not on that list? ==
== Why aren't all the best-selling games that I love on that list? ==


As you can imagine, the more popular a game is, the most difficult it is to have an agreement to host this game on BGA.
As you can imagine, the more popular a game is, the most difficult it can be to get an agreement to host this game on BGA.


So if you think about a particular very popular game that is not on this list, the reason for this rather be "we asked and this was impossible" than "we did'nt think of this".
So if you are thinking about a very popular game that is not on this list, the reason is most likely "we asked but it was not possible" and not "we didn't think of it".


We are pretty lucky to have a very nice platform that convince the most prestigious publishers to host their games here, but of course we can't convince -everyone-.
We are really happy to have been able to build a very nice platform that managed to convince some of the most prestigious publishers to host their games here, but of course we can't convince -everyone-.


== I want my prototype/unpublished game on BGA ==
== I want to make my prototype/unpublished game available on BGA ==


This is possible, BUT most of the time, we consider this is a bad idea for the following reasons:
This is possible, BUT most of the time, we consider this is a bad idea for the following reasons:
* if your game has not been published yet, there is certainly a good reason - most of the time there is still some more work to do on the game itself. Publishing a game on BGA that is not 100% finalized won't help you to finalize it.
* if your game has not been published yet, there is certainly a good reason - most of the time there is still some more work to do on the game itself. Publishing a game on BGA that is not 100% finalized won't help you to finalize it.
* as a rule of thumb, popular board games on BGA are games that are popular in the real world. As a consequence prototypes don't have a big audience on BGA.
* as a rule of thumb, popular board games on BGA are games that are popular in the real world. As a consequence prototypes most likely won't get a big audience on BGA.
* we also discourage you to develop your own game: we build better games adaptation with a designer that focus on the gameplay and a developer that focus on the realization.
* we also advise you against developing your own game: games adaptation are better when there is a designer whose focus is on the gameplay and a developer whose focus is on the implementation.


So basically you can develop your prototype/unpublished game on BGA, but we encourage you to do it only if you are in one/several of the situation below:
So you definitely can develop your prototype/unpublished game on BGA, but we encourage you to think twice about it and do it only if you are in one/several of the situations below:
* the game is going to be published in the near future.
* the game is going to be published in the near future
* the game design process is really 100% done: the game is ready to be published in its current shape (ex: self-publishing game, game in a crowdfunding process...).
* the game design process is really 100% done: the game is ready to be published in its current shape (ex: self-publishing game, game in a crowdfunding process...)
* you want to test a game with a big number of players to finalize some minor things ("balance").
* you want to test your game with a big number of players to fine-tune some minor things ("balance" of the game).


== What if I really want to develop a particular game that is NOT on the list below? ==
== What if I really want to develop a particular game that is NOT on the list of "Available licences"? ==


This is the most asked question, to please follow the instructions:
This is the most frequently asked question, so for a detailed answer please follow the white rabbit down these numbered instructions:


=== 0: ===
=== 1: Determine the Publisher ===


In any case: please, do not contact publishers without asking us before. Please imagine you are a game publisher who just published a popular game: what would you do if you received 40 emails from 40 developers speaking about "BGA platform" and wanting to build an adaptation on it?
First, you should determine who is the owner of the digital rights of the game. Most of the time, this is the original publisher of the game. The original publisher is not always easy to find, because very often board games are translated and published in different countries by a local publisher.


Continue to 1.
To find the original publisher:
* check in which country the game has been published first (ex: If it's in Poland, the original publisher is probably Polish).
* check the copyright notice at the end of the rules, where the original publisher is mentioned almost every time.
* very often, if two publishers are mentioned on a gamebox, the well-known publisher is the local publisher from your country and the other one is the original publisher.


=== 1: ===
Special case: if the game is themed with a prestigious licence (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, some TV show, some well known novel...), you can stop here immediately: contracts between game publishers and prestigious licenses owners are very restrictive, and there is 99% chance that an online adaptation on BGA would be impossible to manage.


At first, you should determine who is the owner of the electronic rights of a game. Most of the time, this is the original publisher of the game. The original publisher is not always easy to find, because in general board games are translated&published in each countries by a local publisher.
Continue to 2.


To find the original publisher:
=== 2: Check Publisher Relation with BGA ===
* check in which country the game has been published first (ex: If it's in Poland, the original publisher is probably polish).
* check the copyright notice at the end of the rules, where the original publisher is mentioned almost all the time.
* very often, if two publishers are mentioned on a gamebox, the well-known publisher is the publisher from your country and the other one is the original publisher.


Particular case: if the game is themed with a prestigious licence (Star Wars, Lord of the Ring, some TV show, some well known novel...), you can stop here immediately: contracts between game publishers and prestigious licences owners are very restrictive, and there is 99% chance that an online adaptation on BGA is not welcome.
Read the list of publishers from the [https://studio.boardgamearena.com/#!licensing Available licenses] page to check if BGA is already working with this publisher.


Continue to 2
If YES, proceed to 3.
If NO, jump to 4.


=== 2: ===
However, if the publisher is listed as "not working with BGA", you can stop here immediately. It happens that some publishers are not convinced or interested by online boardgaming and it is their right to think so. The BGA team regularly meets new publishers during board games events to show them the platform, so we're working on this but -again- we cannot convince everyone.


Read the publisher list below to check if BGA already work with this publisher.
=== 3: Check Publisher's Other Available Licenses ===


If YES, continue to 3.
Is there already in the list a game licensed by this publisher that is available to be developed or under development?
If NO, continue to 4.


However, if the publisher is listed as "not working with BGA", you can stop here immediately. It happens sometimes that some publishers are not convinced by online boardgaming and this is their right to think this. BGA team regularly meet new publishers during board games events to show them the platform, so we're working on this but -again- we cannot convince everyone.
If YES: as a rule of thumb, we do not ask more than one game to a publisher at a time. When we ask a license for a game, the publisher naturally expects that this game will be developed and published online. So we develop and publish a game before asking for another.
If you really want to develop another game from this particular publisher, the best option for you is to help develop the game that is currently licensed and then ask us to request the game you'd like to develop.


=== 3: ===
If NO: you can click on "template email" at the top of the licensing page to display a form that will help you generate an email to send to the publisher to request a new license.


Is there already a game licenced by this publisher that has to be developed?
And if you are unsure, please check with us by filing a support request from the [https://studio.boardgamearena.com/support studio support page] (it's always a good idea to ask if you are not sure ;) )


If YES: as a rule of thumb, we do not ask more than one game to a publisher at a time. When we ask a licence for a game, a publisher expect that the game will be developed and published online. So we develop and publish a game before asking for another.
=== 4: Publisher is not in the list ===
If you really want to develop a game from this particular publisher, the best option for you is to help to develop the game that is currently licenced and then to ask us to request the game you'd like to develop.


If NO: just ask us which game you want to develop and we would be happy to ask the publisher the authorization!
We have never worked with this publisher before.


If you have already developed a game on BGA, you can click on "template email" at the top of the [https://studio.boardgamearena.com/#!licensing Available licenses page] to display a form that will help you generate an email to send to the publisher to request a new license.


=== 4: ===
If this is your first game on BGA, we advise you to start with a game already on the list. Why? Because unfortunately, sometimes developers request a license, and then don't finish the development. When asking for a license, it's better if you have already shown your ability to realise an adaptation.


We never worked with this publisher before.
Special case: if you know the publisher PERSONALLY, or have some contact there, please suggest them to check our page for game publishers https://boardgamearena.com/#!gamepublishers where they'll get information and find an email template to send to us if they are interested in granting BGA a license.


If you have already developed a game on BGA, we would be happy to ask the publisher the authorization :)
Special case #2: if you are the publisher, represent the publisher, or the license owner (i.e. author of unpublished game) please check out https://boardgamearena.com/#!gamepublishers and if you are interested contact us by email! (you can use the email template available on this page).


If this is your first game on BGA, we probably advise you to start with a game already on the list. Why? Because unfortunately, some developers are asking us to request a licence, and don't finish the development afterwards. When we ask for a licence, we are more comfortable if you already show that you are able to realize an adaptation.


Particular case: if you already know the publisher PERSONALLY, or have some contact there, please tell us so we can help you to setup a contract to host a game adaptation on BGA.
[[Category:Studio]]

Latest revision as of 12:29, 19 September 2022

What is a "license" exactly?

Almost all games on the Board Game Arena platform are adaptations of existing commercial "real" board games. In order to host an adaptation of one of these board games on a website, the copyright owners must first grant a license/authorisation to this website.

Are all games on BGA licensed by their respective copyright owners?

Yes, for all games that are not in the public domain, BGA has been granted an authorisation to create and host an online version.

Where can I find a list of games for which a license has already been granted?

Check the list of available licenses

(NB: this page is restricted to developers registered in BGA studio. You'll need to enter your BGA studio credentials to access it)

What if I start developing a game that is not on the "Available licences" list?

We allow developers to start any project in the Studio. But when you submit your project to go live on BGA, it will be rejected during the review process if BGA doesn't hold a proper license for the game.

Exception: games in the public domain are of course not concerned.

Wow, I WANT to develop a game on this list!

Great! :)

But before creating a new project, please takes some seconds to check that someone is not already developing this game. If it is the case, maybe you can propose to join the project?

Check the list of current projects

Also, first thing to do when starting a project of that list is to request the game image files. Sometimes we already have them, sometimes we'll have to ask the publisher. Since it can be a while between the time the publisher grants the license and when a developer starts a project, this contact also allows to check that everything is still ok on the licensing side.

Try establishing a contact with the publisher or designer before developing a new game. To release the implementation as a public game, the publisher must approve the game during alpha test phase. Without publisher support your game will remain private indefinitely.

What needs to be done to add a game on this list?

The copyright owners have to give an license/authorisation to BGA.

Publishers do not have to pay anything to BGA for this, they just need to give their "go". Most of the time, publishers want to have a formal agreement and we sign a contract with them.

Why aren't all the best-selling games that I love on that list?

As you can imagine, the more popular a game is, the most difficult it can be to get an agreement to host this game on BGA.

So if you are thinking about a very popular game that is not on this list, the reason is most likely "we asked but it was not possible" and not "we didn't think of it".

We are really happy to have been able to build a very nice platform that managed to convince some of the most prestigious publishers to host their games here, but of course we can't convince -everyone-.

I want to make my prototype/unpublished game available on BGA

This is possible, BUT most of the time, we consider this is a bad idea for the following reasons:

  • if your game has not been published yet, there is certainly a good reason - most of the time there is still some more work to do on the game itself. Publishing a game on BGA that is not 100% finalized won't help you to finalize it.
  • as a rule of thumb, popular board games on BGA are games that are popular in the real world. As a consequence prototypes most likely won't get a big audience on BGA.
  • we also advise you against developing your own game: games adaptation are better when there is a designer whose focus is on the gameplay and a developer whose focus is on the implementation.

So you definitely can develop your prototype/unpublished game on BGA, but we encourage you to think twice about it and do it only if you are in one/several of the situations below:

  • the game is going to be published in the near future
  • the game design process is really 100% done: the game is ready to be published in its current shape (ex: self-publishing game, game in a crowdfunding process...)
  • you want to test your game with a big number of players to fine-tune some minor things ("balance" of the game).

What if I really want to develop a particular game that is NOT on the list of "Available licences"?

This is the most frequently asked question, so for a detailed answer please follow the white rabbit down these numbered instructions:

1: Determine the Publisher

First, you should determine who is the owner of the digital rights of the game. Most of the time, this is the original publisher of the game. The original publisher is not always easy to find, because very often board games are translated and published in different countries by a local publisher.

To find the original publisher:

  • check in which country the game has been published first (ex: If it's in Poland, the original publisher is probably Polish).
  • check the copyright notice at the end of the rules, where the original publisher is mentioned almost every time.
  • very often, if two publishers are mentioned on a gamebox, the well-known publisher is the local publisher from your country and the other one is the original publisher.

Special case: if the game is themed with a prestigious licence (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, some TV show, some well known novel...), you can stop here immediately: contracts between game publishers and prestigious licenses owners are very restrictive, and there is 99% chance that an online adaptation on BGA would be impossible to manage.

Continue to 2.

2: Check Publisher Relation with BGA

Read the list of publishers from the Available licenses page to check if BGA is already working with this publisher.

If YES, proceed to 3. If NO, jump to 4.

However, if the publisher is listed as "not working with BGA", you can stop here immediately. It happens that some publishers are not convinced or interested by online boardgaming and it is their right to think so. The BGA team regularly meets new publishers during board games events to show them the platform, so we're working on this but -again- we cannot convince everyone.

3: Check Publisher's Other Available Licenses

Is there already in the list a game licensed by this publisher that is available to be developed or under development?

If YES: as a rule of thumb, we do not ask more than one game to a publisher at a time. When we ask a license for a game, the publisher naturally expects that this game will be developed and published online. So we develop and publish a game before asking for another. If you really want to develop another game from this particular publisher, the best option for you is to help develop the game that is currently licensed and then ask us to request the game you'd like to develop.

If NO: you can click on "template email" at the top of the licensing page to display a form that will help you generate an email to send to the publisher to request a new license.

And if you are unsure, please check with us by filing a support request from the studio support page (it's always a good idea to ask if you are not sure ;) )

4: Publisher is not in the list

We have never worked with this publisher before.

If you have already developed a game on BGA, you can click on "template email" at the top of the Available licenses page to display a form that will help you generate an email to send to the publisher to request a new license.

If this is your first game on BGA, we advise you to start with a game already on the list. Why? Because unfortunately, sometimes developers request a license, and then don't finish the development. When asking for a license, it's better if you have already shown your ability to realise an adaptation.

Special case: if you know the publisher PERSONALLY, or have some contact there, please suggest them to check our page for game publishers https://boardgamearena.com/#!gamepublishers where they'll get information and find an email template to send to us if they are interested in granting BGA a license.

Special case #2: if you are the publisher, represent the publisher, or the license owner (i.e. author of unpublished game) please check out https://boardgamearena.com/#!gamepublishers and if you are interested contact us by email! (you can use the email template available on this page).