The following is provided as a simplified overview of our Asset licenses.
Nothing written here overrules our license terms nor is legally binding or contractual.
Always refer to the actual Candy Arts licenses for the most accurate information.

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Related Works

To keep our prices affordable and fair, our licenses are Budget-based, proportional to each project’s scope and means.

However, this opens the possibility of projects being split into multiple parts, distributed separately, to try to conceal the full Budget from our license terms.
At the same time, we don’t want our terms to over-reach and cover the Budget of separate projects, which are unrelated or only slightly related.

For these reasons, we define and provide terms for various software and distribution formats.

Definitions

The following types of software or products must be counted in your project’s Budget:

Alternate Versions
Alternate Versions are different versions of your project, such as console/PC ports, localizations, or editions such as Gold, GOTY, Deluxe, etc.
Other titles in the same series, such as sequels or prequels, are not Alternate Versions.

Expansions
Expansions are software products that add or modify content in your project, such as DLC, expansion packs, etc.

Access Products
Access Products are digital or physical products that unlock or modify content in your project, such as codes, micro-transactions, cards or collectible figures that can be scanned, etc.

Budget Inclusion

Alternate Versions, Expansions and Access Products must have their Budget added to your project’s Budget, even if they don’t use Candy Arts Assets.
• For example, if your project has a Budget of €30’000, and an Expansion has a Budget of €10’000, then the project’s total Budget is €40’000.

However, for Major Assets under the Professional tier, fees only need to be paid once for any money actually spent.
• In the previous example, you could pay fees on your project’s total Budget of €40’000, and you wouldn’t owe fees again on the Expansion’s €10’000.
• Alternately, you could pay fees on the Expansion’s €10’000, and then pay fees on the project’s remaining €30’000.
• Note that the second method is more expensive due to the way Budget intervals work: you would pay fees for 3 intervals instead of 2 (see the Budget page for details). Feel free to choose the cheapest method.

Other Related Works

Linked Works

Linked Works are software or games that are usable on their own, but which can also unlock or modify content in your project.
• For example: a previous title in the series, which your project can import save data from, or which unlocks starter items in your project.

Linked Works aren’t counted in your project’s Budget:
We don’t want to make you pay licensing fees on a previous game just because the sequel can import save files from it.

As a limitation, Linked Works can’t add new content to a project or unlock content that isn’t otherwise accessible:
• If a software can be used on its own, but also adds content to your project, then it’s an Expansion.
• For example: a DLC that adds new items and enemies in your game, but also features a solo campaign that can be played without your game.

Add-Ons

If a software doesn’t have a license for one of our Assets, and you make an Expansion or a Mod that uses or includes that Asset, then you’re actually making an Add-On.

Making Add-Ons is not permitted: it would allow a software to use our Assets without being bound by our license terms.

Mods

Mods are essentially Expansions that are made by independent third-parties.
We want to make modding of your game as unrestricted as possible for Mod authors, so we have very few conditions.

For Mod authors:
• There are no conditions or restrictions on Mods that don’t use or include our Assets → Those Mods are none of our business.

• If a game doesn’t have licenses for our Assets, Mods can’t use or include those Assets → Those Mods would be Add-Ons, which are prohibited.

• Mods that only use our Assets included in the game, and which depend on the game, don’t need licenses → This way, if Mod authors aren’t aware that a game uses our Assets, they’re not at risk of accidentally infringing our licenses, and they don’t need to concern themselves with our license terms.

• Mods that only use our Assets included in the game, but which can function independently of the game (even just partially), require licenses → The Mod authors are basically making a standalone game, so they can be expected to know what they’re using in their game (i.e. our Assets) and what the licensing terms are.

• Mods that include our Asset files require a license → This should only happen if Mod authors add the files to their Mods intentionally, so it’s reasonable to expect them to know about the license terms and to comply with them.

• Mods can earn revenue, even if they don’t have licenses. Mods that have or require our licenses can only earn direct revenue under the Indie or Professional tier.

For game Creators:
Mods are not counted in the game’s Budget.

It’s important that Mods remain independent from the game’s Creators: otherwise it’s an Expansion and it should count in the game’s Budget:
• The game’s Creators can’t create, finance, work on, or otherwise contribute to Mods.
• The game’s Creators can’t request that someone make specific Mods, nor influence the design of Mods.
• The game’s Creators can provide modding resources to their community, as long as they’re not restricted to selected Mods or Mod authors: modding tools, documentation, hosting platforms, etc.
• The game’s Creators can encourage their community to create Mods in general, as long as they don’t encourage the creation of specific Mods or features.