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using in-game screenshots in a fan game


crystalsilence

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Hello,

 

I'm thinking of making an indie game that is kind of like a Skyrim fan game. And, for cutscenes, I'm planning to use some screenshots from the game.

 

Main points:

1. No actual game resources would be used, only screenshots.

2. The shots themselves would be highly processed/edited in Photoshop using filters and all that stuff.

3. The game is supposed to take place in actual Skyrim cities (or just some of them), and the actual NPCs from the game would be present.

4. I have absolutely no intention of selling the game, it would be 100% free to play, and I want it to be regarded as a sort of fan fiction (only in a game format).

 

My concern is that I don't know how legal is it, and am I allowed to do what I want to do. If I won't run into any trouble with all these 4 points, I will get down to this game and make it. If, however, any of them can lead to any sorts of trouble, then I'll probably abandon the idea.

 

So... any suggestions?

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Sorry to say but any use of the games ip without consent would infringe copyright, pretty sure the use of npc's or any aspect of the lore would be considered as such.

 

The question is would they care, technically lets play's on youtube break copyright laws but game companies usually allow it because its free advertising and they don't loose money from it.

 

Considering that you aren't making money from this and that Bethesda probably wont loose any money from you doing this then you might be ok. so i guess the answer is...maybe?

 

If you recall that lord of the rings conversion for skyrim that was shut down by warner bros (or whoever it was). it seemed the only reason they did that was because it prolly would have been better than any other lotr game and they would loose money if they allowed it to continue.

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The question is would they care, technically lets play's on youtube break copyright laws but game companies usually allow it because its free advertising and they don't loose money from it.

Considering that you aren't making money from this and that Bethesda probably wont loose any money from you doing this then you might be ok. so i guess the answer is...maybe?

 

And this is what makes me wonder. There are tons of let's plays and longplays and quickplays on YouTube.

A lot of people use the Bethesda's IP, including NPCs and lore, in their fanfics (do these people really infringe copyright? - http://www.uesp.net/wiki/General:Fanfiction)

A lot of people use Bethesda's IP to create art from screenshots or just draw fan art (do these people infring copyright as well? - http://www.deviantart.com/digitalart/?order=9&q=skyrim)

 

If there is any difference between this and an indie game (keep in mind, I'm not talking about something of the same scale as TES, I'm talking about someting in RPG Maker, Ren'Py, that kind of thing - obviously not a competitor) and which

I will no use to make money, I would like to know about it before I start doing anything.

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Well, technically it's in violation of copyright laws, so if you use screenshots from the game there is no question that if Bethesda wants they could get you for copyright.

 

Of course will they really care? Idk, depends upon your use of it, if your not making money, and it's not really that popular a game, then I doubt Bethesda would bother.

 

However I personally think you shouldn't use them, due to the risk associated with it, because if Bethesda does something about it you could get in some pretty big legal troubles.

 

Plus idk how people will look upon your game is your just using screenshots from skyrim. It'll make it look really unprofessional, and most likely making your own cutscenes from scratch will not only make you look atleast better as a developer, but you will also learn the skills to help you become better as a game developer.

 

And much less worries in terms of legal troubles.

 

So overall, while you may be able to slip by using screenshots from skyrim, it's going to be a much better option in my opinion to simply do things yourself.

 

Good luck regardless.

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Well, actually I'm not planning to base the whole game on screenshots...Just a little bit of this and that... E.g. use a face of a character for a faceset... Mainly it would be some 2D sprites from other sources (or specifically made)...

 

Here, I made a rough draft of what I meant. Of course it will look neater if I sit down and do it, it's just a 5 minute rough demonstration of the idea.

 

 

 

 

The funny part is that I'm not even aspiring to become a game developer, neither I'm going to improve my skills in it. It's just a small hobby, and RPG Maker is fine fot me needs. All in all, it is unlikely that the game's target audience will be greater than a few dozen Skyrim-playing friends. A hundred or two players in addition to them would be way beyond expectation. So, making all the original graphics would be ust an over-investment. Not worth powder and shot.

You may ask me why I'm making such a big fuss over an absolutely non-ambitious and non-profit project... Well it's just that if they try to sue me for copyright infringement because of THAT... it would be just stupid, you know. To get into trouble because of a harmless hobby, that's nonsense. Even if they wouldn't bother with sueing, they still can ask me politely to remove the game from public access. In that case, the game will be just a waste of time.

 

I'm Jon Snow about this legal stuff, that's why I'm asking. I need to know for sure that what I'm doing is harmless before I set foot into it. If it's technically illegal, then I just won't waste my time doing it, even if Bethesda would't pay the slightest attention to my game. I'll just try to find another source of inspiration for that.

 

Nevertheless, I'd still like to know where is the bottomline. What is the key difference of writing fan fiction (which is not illegal, or is it?) or making fan art (which is not illegal, or is it?) and making a fan game.

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Personally I'd recommend just emailing Bethesda and asking their permission to use their material. Explain what you're doing, what assets of theirs you intend to use and how, and be absolutely up front and accurate about it. They obviously support fan-made material at a company level, so I'd wager you have a fairly decent chance of getting a green light. If not, at least you covered your ***.

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Personally I'd recommend just emailing Bethesda and asking their permission to use their material. Explain what you're doing, what assets of theirs you intend to use and how, and be absolutely up front and accurate about it. They obviously support fan-made material at a company level, so I'd wager you have a fairly decent chance of getting a green light. If not, at least you covered your ***.

 

Hah, that's a great suggestion! I wonder how I didn't think of it! Thanks a lot!

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