Monetization of upbge game

Yep there’s certainly some complexity when it comes to the application logic/scripting/engine. It would be interesting to see what a lawyer or past legal precedent could unearth regarding it.

I think you are misunderstanding how BGE works (or worked since it is dead now, however the same applies to the UPBGE fork) , a game consist of two parts, a player executable and a .blend file that contained the developers scripts and assets.

The player application is not a customized binary , it was pretty much blender with the UI removed.
If you have 10 BGE based games, this part would be identical between all of them, it’s derived from the blender source code and very much bound by the GPL.

So a launcher based on upbge could be distributed for free, when games in the launcher could be sold?

Tomato Jones - game made on bge.

Nothing in the GPL prevents you from selling anything, selling the launcher is perfectly legal, however regardless if you sell it or give it away for free, you’re bound by the GPL to make the source code available to the people you provide the binary to.

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Am I required to provide a license after the request? I don’t have to notify you that the game is made in Blender, and if required, I will provide it. As a last resort, I will use advertising.

Really read the thread i linked earlier, it’s quite explicit on what your rights and obligations are.

You are required to provide the code OR a written offer with the binary, one of the two.

Check this thread:

EDIT: @LazyDodo sorry… I missed you already linked it LOL

linked it and referred to it a few times, but it doesn’t feel like that registered, so you highlighting a post from that thread may not be a terrible thing :slight_smile:

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I’ve watched it all, repeatedly. I can provide the encoded code via bbplayer, I will now look for it in this article, but if you are aware, please tell me.

I will continue to study your article)))

How can I make the program available to sell separately?

What do you mean by sell separately? Try and be explicit and clear, it’s hard to guess.

I apologize. I meant this. How can I share the code so that there is a possibility of a paid sale? I mean, I have .blend and. exe with all the data, I just left them in Google drive and now anyone can access it, and I can sell copies? I was interested in how exactly I can give access to the source code.

Sell via a marketplace such as steam or itch.io or such, and have the source without the art assets available on a repo, for an example, on github.

I understood. Thanks.

It’s interesting to me too. Although I do not plan to release games on the UPBGE engine.

If I understood this thread correctly. If my product contains code licensed under the GPL, or modified code that was under the GPL, then I must distribute the SOURCE CODE or a link to it along with my product.

But the source code of what, UPBGE Engine?

Or the original file of the UPBGE Engine with the scene of the game?

I think that only the code of the UPBGE Engine. Because whatever I do inside him, it will be done with the help of his tools, like an image or a video. I am not changing the engine code.

If I change the engine code, then I will have to post this modified code, because it will also be a GPL. And if addons are used, then the source code of the addons?
Am I getting it right? Or should I publish the original game scene file?

I wonder if it is possible to independently change the license from GPL to another closed one?

technically any python code you write for your game falls under the GPL too. But I’d argue that no, the .blend files need not be included.

But yes, UPBGE source, though if you haven’t modified the engine then just providing a link to it on the repo holding your python code should suffice.


edit: no you can not change the license, unless it’s one that provides all the protections/provisions of the GPL and then some(thus being compatible).

What you would attach a custom EULA to would be your art assets that inevitably make up the majority of your game anyways.

Without them the game won’t really be playable and while thanks to the engine and python code being open someone could try replacing the art assets and recreating the game logic via logic bricks, it’d be such a huge undertaking it’s likely not going to happen - unless you’ve long stopped supporting your game and it is in EOL status.

Then perhaps some subset of your games fans might feel incentivized to put the work in to keep the game alive. Though here I’d argue that the best solution for you at that point is to perhaps finally release the art assets to the community too if you aren’t going to be making further money from it anyways.


Worth also noting that id software used to do basically something along the lines of that with their older games: Once they stopped supporting them they released the particular version of their engine and game logic related code under GPL. But not the art assets.
It allowed the dedicated player base to keep the game playable for those with the install discs(where the art assets were located) while the GPL made it less enticing for competing studios to take the code and release a competing product to the market.
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Is the exe file (the file that the user receives) covered by the GPL license?

Final EXE file, is it compiled?

The EXE file has different code, which is the Engine + scene settings + textures + geometry + animation. If the EXE file is a single code and is subject to the GPL license, then I have to upload it, but without animation, geometry, textures, and scene adjustment, because even the scene settings are my Intellectual property?

wiki : “A copyright gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time. Copyright may apply to a wide range of creative, intellectual, or artistic forms, or “works”. Copyright does not cover ideas and information themselves, only the form or manner in which they are expressed.”

Even if the GPL license forces me to publish the UPBGE file with the scene, then everything in this scene will be my intellectual property, even the name of this file? Then will I need to publish an empty UPBGE scene? :slight_smile:

Arguably the .blend file is blenders output so your creative work.