Understanding Partnership Dissolution in Game Development

In the fast-paced world of game development, creative minds often come together to form teams that work on projects. When these projects are large in scope and scale, the need for a working agreement becomes apparent. Poorly defined intellectual property (IP) rights, project ownership issues, or creative disputes can spell disaster for a project. Just as it is important to have a solid understanding of the law behind a comprehensive partnership dissolution agreement, it is vital for game developers to establish such agreements when working with others as part of a games studio. With an ever-growing number of indie game developers, this need is becoming all the more imperative.

A partnership dissolution agreement sample should include the following:

1. Defining Terms
   Defining the terms of a partnership is essential for establishing the framework for a working agreement. What is the partnership meant to accomplish? Is the partnership beneficial for both parties? These questions, and more, should be answered in a gaming-related agreement.
2. Putting It in Writing
   Name the partners, document the amount of investment each partner is willing to provide, and sign the agreement. What happens if a partner misses a deadline or underperforms? How will the profit from the product be shared? A partnership dissolution agreement sample gives insight into what goes into defining an agreement.
3. Defining Milestones
   Once a milestone is met, the game goes to market. While gaming software is very flexible in allowing for later updates, the road of game development goes back to the drawing board with new ideas, concepts, and designs. A new version of a game can be created, or even an entirely new game, if the intellectual property is deemed to be worth the time and effort to create. However, the distribution is what can create funds to further develop the original idea. While you might be working towards a large end goal in a partnership, the milestones and checkpoints outline the path to get there.
4. IP Ownership and Partnership
   While you might be wondering how a gaming partnership connects with a contract dissolution, the short and simple answer is that gaming agreements are based on the same foundation as a legal contract. A partnership dissolution agreement sample can give you insight into how a gaming partnership should be framed, how milestones can be used, and why it’s important to have a clearly defined agreement.

If you think organizing your IP around a gaming partnership sounds challenging, then try to tackle the complex world of gaming. There are thousands of developers and game publishers, including Jenney Games, that can put in a sufficient amount of effort for a project or idea, and still reap the benefits from the success. A partnership dissolution agreement sample can give you insight into how a gaming partnership should be framed, how milestones can be used, and why it’s important to have a clearly defined partnership agreement before moving forward.

Gaming partnerships can be very lucrative if properly organized. Commercial partnerships should be documented and clear if a milestone is to be agreed upon. While every gaming experience is different, there are similarities in the way gaming IP is developed that can be used to your advantage when identifying when a partnership is advantageous. The kinetics of a gaming partnership may make sense on paper and seem easy to execute, but the amount of coordination needed for success in a startup or small venture is no easy task. Proper legal consultation and agreement drafting can avoid pitfalls common in gaming partnerships. Because many gaming companies are small ventures, responsibilities remain unfocused and end up being an area of conflict. The legal aspects of running a business and putting a product on the market can be daunting but can bring in large returns.

Legal agreements have the same basic foundation as partnerships. The need for a partnership dissolution agreement sample can bring some clarity into the basic fundamentals of a gaming partnership:

1. Putting it down on paper
2. Have an idea
3. Find partners willing to invest.
4. Establish a clear goal for the team to achieve the vision.
5. Agree on the terms.
6. Sign the agreement.

Not having milestones or set deadlines can create a maze of conflict and failed expectations. Just like a contract dissolution, putting certain things down is enough to establish a certain understanding. Employees can take on individual responsibilities and work to meet goals. While the laws and compliance issues surrounding a gaming company may be similar to that of other companies, gaming companies can run into issues if they haven’t identified certain processes in an executive capacity. Gaming companies will often bring in employees or partners that are passionate about the industry, and these individuals often represent the majority of the gaming industry. Employees that bring their talents to a startup or small company might not have the opportunity to work on new projects again, or it may take years before they get another opportunity. Those passionate about developing quality gaming software will need to be compensated accordingly.

Making mistakes in the world of gaming can be very costly, so having the right development and design partnerships can mean everything for the viability of a project. While gaming partnerships can be difficult to maintain, they can benefit from certain legal protections that can help secure the future of the business. Gaming can be very profitable so it comes as a shock when developers or publishers aren’t on the same page. Many companies have unproductive partnerships that don’t seem to go away. In the future, as games continue to evolve and develop, setting up the right organizational structures and agreements can promote effective and productive partnerships.