Indie Project Checklist

The checklist below will tell you if your project qualifies as Indie under our license terms. If your project doesn’t qualify as Indie, it can only use the Studio license.

_{Please note that the information below is provided as an overview for convenience, and does not overrule the actual license terms.
If any information conflicts with the license terms, the license terms take precedence.}

Definitions:

Creators
For the purpose of this checklist, a Creator is any entity who holds ownership rights to the project and/or earns money based on the project’s revenue.
• This often includes publishers.
• Neutral Entities (see below) are not considered Creators.*
_{*This is a good thing: it means Neutral Entities involved with your project don’t disqualify it from being Indie.}

Neutral Entities
Neutral Entities are entities whose involvement is strictly limited to the following roles:
• Distribution platforms (GOG, Steam, etc.)
• Payment processors (credit cards, banks, etc.)
• Commissioned parties (freelance artists, etc.)
• Services and products (legal advice, server hosting services, ready-made assets, software licenses, etc.)
• Content creators (streamers, youtubers, etc.)
• End-users (people playing your game or using your software)
_{See « Neutral Entities » in the license terms for details.}

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Checklist:

1. How many Creators does the project have?
Indie projects are limited to 5 Creators.
• 1-5 → Indie
• 6+ → Not Indie

2. Are all Creators human?
For Indie projects, all Creators must be human, not companies.
• All Creators are human → Indie
• Some Creators are organizations/companies → Not Indie*
_{*Our licenses provide exemptions for Indies who register as a legal entity for legal reasons. This is not addressed on this page. See « Indie Organizations » in our license terms for details.}

3. Do all Creators hold ownership rights to the project?
For Indie projects, all Creators must share ownership of the project.
• Every Creator is an owner of the project → Indie
• Some Creators don’t own the project → Not Indie

4. Will all Creators be paid in proportion to the project’s revenue (if the project generates revenue)?
For Indie projects, all Creators must be entitled to a share of the revenue.
• Every Creator will be paid based on the project’s revenue → Indie
• Some Creators will not be paid at all / will only be paid a fixed amount / will have a pay limit / another arrangement not proportional to the project’s revenue → Not Indie

5. Besides Creators and Neutral Entities, will any other entity: work on, distribute, monetize, market, finance, or otherwise be involved with the project?
This definition can include employees, volunteers, interns, etc.
• Everyone involved is either a Creator or a Neutral Entity → Indie
• Some entities who are not Creators or Neutral Entities will be involved with the project → Not Indie

If all your answers are marked ‘Indie‘, your project is eligible for the Free Indie, Starter Indie or Pro Indie licenses.
If any of your answers are marked ‘Not Indie‘, your project is only eligible for the Studio License.