Hi! So, all you know I like to make games but I had a question.

I'd like to one day make a fan-fiction/fan-based game off of Star Wars (YES I'M A GEEK! lol), I wouldn't make any money off of it but I would have to borrow ideas, concepts and possibly sounds and music from it for it to seem more "authentic". I'd obviously credit where it's due since I won't be making lots of the audio and that stuff so..Is that legal? Just as a fan-based thing. I know fan-fiction is always encouraged but I don't know about games because they're interactive and can be more easily confused for something...I've also seen movies that were fan made...So yeah basically is that illegal? I don't need people getting ticked off even though I'm not hurting anyone. You know how that goes, copyright sharks....so yep....??


Thanks for anyone who can answer me that!


~ God Bless ~


~ Moko

mokonafan: hmm.. i don't know the details of U.S. copyright law, but i do know this: fanfiction and fan art and the like is encouraged because the copyright owners still profit on it. their products get a larger following and they can sell more of their stuff that way. well made and popular fan art and fan fiction, and i think that includes fan made games too, will just help keeping a movie or comic trendy and hot, so the copyright holding companies don't want to exercise the rights they probably have to make people stop producing them.

George Lucas used to be fairly decent about Star Wars fan films (though there was one incident where the fanfilm became too popular); however, he has sold all his rights to the franchise to Disney, a company renowned for litigious bullying over copyrights. The gaming industry also seems to be rather cutthroat with regard to fan-based games.

All in all, I would say avoid basing your game on the Star Wars universe. If you need inspiration, perhaps look to the works of H. Beam Piper, Fitz James O'Brien, H. Rider Haggard, or any number of other existing literary sources that are in the public domain -- or ... invent your own universe.

See I knew somebody would know better than me.
I figured Disney would be on my tail if I did something like that, that's why I asked.