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How content is licensed between studios
Licensing in iGaming is not just about media IP. Studios regularly exchange games, mechanics, code, art, sound, and also use publishing programs (publisher/Powered-By) and aggregators. Below is how rights, money, processes and risks work when content "travels" between studios.
1) What exactly is licensed: "baskets of rights"
1. Ready Games (RNG/Live Modules)
the right to distribute/publish the game under your or the original label; right to localization and market builds.
2. Mechanics/technology license for game mechanics (example: "licensed" line/coil schemes), mathematical profiles, SDK/engines, RGS components.
3. Derivative assets of art/animation/icons, fonts, GUI, sounds/music (publishing vs master), trailers/key visuals.
4. Client code and tools (HTML5/Unity), server (RGS/Wallet), assembly pipelines, test frameworks.
5. Marketing materials banner whales, gameplay, brand guide, tournament presets.
2) Basic models of cooperation
Publishing / Powered-By
The publisher (studio/aggregator) accepts the game, makes distribution/marketing/serts; the developer receives MG + royalties.
Co-development
Two studios share production: one is mathematics/client, the other is art/server/serts. Rights and income - in shares.
White-label / Reskin
"Repainting" of the finished game for the partner's brand; usually without changing mathematics.
Mechanics licensing
Licensing of specific mechanics + brand markers ("Powered by
Work-for-hire / Buy-out
Full IP buyback or exclusive for a certain period/territory (more expensive, control higher).
3) Economic models: how they pay
1. MG (Minimum Guarantee) - fixed minimum, in advance/stages.
2. Royalties:- NetWin-based:% of NetWin (GGR − taxes/PSP/jackpots/bonus-cost).
- Turnover/per-spin:% of turnover or fix for "optional spin."
- Hybrid: per-spin to start + NetWin after the threshold.
- 3. Buy-out - one-time purchase of rights (with/without deferred royalties).
- 4. SaaS/Platform fee - payment for RGS/SDK, promo modules, reporting.
What exactly is deducted from NetWin is directly described in the waterfall of deductions.
Calculation period: usually month/quarter. Reports: crude event feed + vaults (see § 7).
4) Territories, terms, exclusivity
Territories: global/clusters (EU/UK/NA/APAC )/according to the list of countries.
Term: 12-36 months + option to extend/redeem.
Exclusivity: full, genre, platform, "early window."
Sublicensing: permitted/prohibited; clause about aggregators.
The golden rule: if you give an exclusive, lay MG higher and strict distribution/feature KPIs.
5) Approvals and changes
What is consistent: key art, screenshots, trailer, locales/copyright, market positioning, math and key UI changes.
SLA for approvals: 10-20 days/round, "silence = agreed" in N days.
Change control: minor updates (fixes, locales) - fast-track; major (fur-edits) - additional agreement and (in a number of jurisdictions) recertification.
6) Compliance and certification
Market builds: a matrix of'game_id × country × rtp_profile × build_hash' with autochecks.
Foreheads/RTS: RNG/mathematics, UI warnings, logging, RG functions.
Roles of the parties: who submits to the foreheads, who pays the fees, who keeps the calendar of recounts.
Versioning: where the reference build/hash is stored, who owns the signature keys.
7) Data, reporting, audit
Event (minimum):- `ts_utc, operator_id, player_anonymous_id, game_id, build_hash, stake, win, spin_type, rtp_profile, bonus_flag, currency, country_code`
Vaults: GGR/NetWin/turnover, optional spins, RTP actual (confidence intervals), bonus-cost, PSP-fees (if included), jackpot contributions.
Audit: the right to check reports N once a year, storage of logs ≥ X months, export format (S3/secure FTP/API), GDPR/DPA.
8) Intellectual Property (IP)
Who owns what:- Basic IP games/mechanics
- Derivatives (skins, locales, market art)
- Tools/SDK (usually kept by the developer)
- Licenses for fonts/music/stock: an explicit listing so as not to "give a ride" to someone else's risk.
- Prohibition of reverse engineering (except for audit/security cases).
- Right to port (mobile/web/terminals) - according to the list.
9) Safety, SRE, responsibility
SLA: uptime, p95/p99 spin-latency, reaction/fix times for incidents.
Anti-tamper, assets signature, mTLS, WAF/CDN, DR plan.
Indemnity (indemnity): for IP violations, compliance, leaks.
E&O insurance: limit/territories/term.
Liability limits: cap = X% of annual payments (except for intent/IP violations).
10) Marketing and Promo
Publisher obligations: feature (shelves), tournaments/missions, banner quotas, minimum promotional budget.
Studio rights: use the brand set, participate in co-brand campaigns, show the game in the portfolio.
Promo SDK: unified tournament/drop/freespin format; anti-abuse rules.
11) Payfalls: Examples
A) NetWin-royalty (classic)
1. GGR
2. − taxes/reg fees
3. − jackpot contributions
4. − PSP-fees
5. − bonus cost
= NetWin- × Royalty% → Studio Payout
B) Per-spin (eligible spins)
'Payout = number of optional spins × rate (fix/%) '
C) Hybrid
To the threshold 'S' - per-spin, after - NetWin% (with a decreasing scale).
12) Typical risks and how to cover them
Discrepancies in reporting → raw event-feed + vaults, quarterly true-up.
Approvals → SLA and silence = negotiated delays.
Compliance regressions → market builds auto-validator, prohibition of hash-free calculations from the registry.
SLA failures → credit notes/penalties, priority on hotfixes.
IP collisions → register of licenses used, E&O, right to transfer guarantee.
13) Contract checklist (cheat sheet)
- Scope: Games/Mechanics/Assets/Code + Modification/Localization Rights
- Territories/Term/Exclusivity/Sublicense
- Payout model: MG, royalties (base,%, thresholds), per-spin/turnover, buy-out options
- Withholding Waterfall (Taxes/PSP/Jackpots/Bonuses)
- Approvals: SLA/rounds/escalation/" silence = agreed"
- Certification/market builds: roles/terms/who pays/registry build_hash
- Data/reports/audit: event, vaults, storage, format, GDPR
- SLA/SRE/safety, DR plan, RTP alerts/bonus-freq
- IP/Indemnity/E & O, fonts/music/drains listed
- Marketing: Feature/Tournaments/Quotas/brand-use
- Limits of Liability, Force Majeure, termination & sunset-plan
14) 30-60-90: Deal Roadmap
0-30 days - structure and terms
Matchmaking: goals, markets, exclusivity.
Term sheet: MG/royalties/per-spin, territories/term, promotional commitments.
Asset rights inventory (art/music/fonts/code).
DPA/GDPR, E&O, initial SLA/SRE.
31-60 days - technical/legal implementation
Contract/SoW, API/SDK specifications, events and reports.
Register market builds, plan of serts, roles of parties.
Pre-approved promo package, brand rules, tournament presets.
Pilot integrations, reporting test, dry-run true-up.
61-90 days - go-to-market
Soft-launch (1-2 operators/geo), telemetry, fixes.
Full release: feature/tournaments/missions; SLA/latency check.
Quarterly true-up, event audit, post-mortem and wave plan 2.
15) Frequent Questions (FAQs)
Can you do without MG? Sometimes - at a high rate per-spin/royalty or tough promo KPI publishers.
Who owns locales and skins? Usually - licensor of basic IP; licensee receives limited rights to use on time/territory.
Do I need to give the source code? Rarely. More often - binaries/SDK + technical support; sources - under escrow in case of bankruptcy/force majeure.
How to count the bonus cost? According to the rules of the contract: either enters the waterfall or is reflected as the publisher's marketing budget.
When is buy-out justified? If the game is a strategic anchor/series and full control of the road map and porting is required.
Licensing between studios is a balance of rights, data and liability. The deal works when:
1. scope and IP ownership are clearly described;
2. transparent payout model and waterfall deductions;
3. automated market builds and event reporting;
4. SLA/SRE and safety agreed;
5. there is a promo plan and a true-up/audit.
By following this checklist, studios can accelerate releases, share technology, and still maintain control over the quality, compliance, and economics of each game.