Ok, so my partner and I are working on a sci-fi game that basically involves a spaceship and destroying alien space ships. We already have a few animations made and some content too. But before we go any further I wanted to know if what were doing is something we cant get in trouble for. What I mean is our project is based on something that already exists in terms of game play style.

That game is called Swarm Gold.

http://space-galaga.games-here.com/swarm_galaga.html

Ive played it and as far as I can tell its pretty much a derivative of asteroids but the ship isnt stationary it travels around. The game were making incorporates the same kind of overhead camera with the ship positioned in the middle, and it functions the same way.

This isnt something that company can sue us for is it? The story we have is our own original work and so is our content. So could we still complete this game and release it commercially without facing any legal ramifications?

Thanks for any replies I appreciate it.

There are TONS of games in that genre. As long as you have fairly different art and story you're just a part of a big genre. No different, really, than making a first person shooter which is also an established genre. This is fairly low risk.

However, with these things it's always about risk. If you're super similar to that game they could always try to sue you if they wanted to. Even if the case had no merit you'd probably have to pay for a lawyer. You can sue someone for basically anything whenever you want, that's just the way the court system works. If you're looking to sell this, you'd obviously need to consult with a lawyer anyway just to help you set up your company. Not really that big a deal; standard cost of entry into commerce [smile]. But this plan seems low risk to me.

-me

It seems there are a huge number of games just like this (as mentioned above). If you are really worried about it and in serious doubt, your best bet is to contact a lawyer. Although it can be expensive, it could be considerably less expensive than a court case for copyright.

If all else fails, you could always release it in international waters free of any governments jurisdiction :p

Quote:Original post by Palidine
There are TONS of games in that genre. As long as you have fairly different art and story you're just a part of a big genre. No different, really, than making a first person shooter which is also an established genre. This is fairly low risk.

However, with these things it's always about risk. If you're super similar to that game they could always try to sue you if they wanted to. Even if the case had no merit you'd probably have to pay for a lawyer. You can sue someone for basically anything whenever you want, that's just the way the court system works. If you're looking to sell this, you'd obviously need to consult with a lawyer anyway just to help you set up your company. Not really that big a deal; standard cost of entry into commerce [smile]. But this plan seems low risk to me.

-me

I appreciate both ya'lls advice thanks