Sell Blender game on Steam

Hi :slight_smile:

Recently I am making game ( 95% finished) and I want to distribute my game on Steam.
In fact blender is open software (GPL3) and this cause some problems.
I know that exists some solves. For example I can sell game by divided
2 group of licenses in main folder (GPL and commercial):

  • for dlls, blenderplayer.exe (GPL) etc… OPEN SOURCE
  • my files, .blends and python codes… COMMERCIAL

(remember that .blend files is your own)

It’s fully legal to sell, I have to only share gpl source under license.

In fact steam don’t accept gpl licenses (even for part file) for commercial use.

I have an idea to leave GPL license and make it 100% copyright for author in selling.
My idea is upload the game on steam without all blender files ( which were under GPL license)

You’re buy a game on steam, download and install the game.
Actually You can’t play game, because it can’t start without blenderplayer.exe

But…
For start ( click shortcut on desktop) it run Launcher.exe ( which was wrote in C++) .
First time Launcher is downloading, only the recognised mod from private server :smiley: ( calls MODS folder) which contain
blenderplayer and other files necessary to run game.


For second time after download, Launcher run blenderplayer.exe and next run MyGame.blend :slight_smile:


I was testing it.
It works perfect for me, but other aspect is law (I am not sure for 100% its correct in law)
What are you thinking about it ?

calling it mods fascinates me a bit. You could call it additional software(similar like shader software(DirectX, OpenGL) or players used in other engines(Unity Web player, Addobe Flash player and others). That sounds legal enaugh of course… However, could you explain me how to make that program or post that method in Game Engine Resources(also for linux)?:smiley:

Well, There’s already one game on steam, and it does not becomes complicated for the author, he says in other post that he just divide the files and the blendeplayer, and say to steam to launcher the blenderplayer, and he did not have problems with GPL.

You mean that:

Just buy it, and see what it have consists.

I thinking to buy when I have money in account.

Do you mean about haidme or the developer of the I will escape?

Oh sorry, it was a mistake, the developer of I will scape wasn’t who post that message, it was @Headhunter_Xamd and I’m not really sure of what game he said.

@adriansnetlisYes I will put source files with tutorial into Game Engine Resources, as soon as I get some free time :slight_smile: (Unfortunately for windows)

I didn’t know before about BBPlayer. Fascinating is blenderplayer.exe include into that. Is it still GPL or not? I don’t know… I must check this later.
And also buy this game on steam :smiley:

If you look at my GPU you can see that I can’t afford to buy a game:D

Oh yess, I have just bought this game on steam.

The game have:
-blenderplayer.exe (under IWIllEscape.exe )
-Launcher ( IWillEscape_launcher.exe)
-original dlls from blender (in main folder)
-other .blends and .py scripts files in folders

It seems that Launcher run a IWIllEscape.exe . We can run game without launcher
,but this cause automatic exit from game on start.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]367815[/ATTACH]

one of .blend file (I just blurred this image for protect copyright)


and output console :smiley:


For surprise it seems to haven’t any license in main folder. Maybe I forgot :o I don’t know…
For comparison i give You screen from other popular game (Japan Puzzle)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]367816[/ATTACH]

I think it can be allright for both game, because Steam have restrictiv method to check game (DRM).

Looks like his game is GPL… Maybe he couldn’t afford to buy license(that sounds logical). Or maybe just search around the copyright archives for that game… looking at their IndieGames post, I think it is open source game…

Yepp, You are right, all game is on GPL.

The game is open source, you can see how we have created it. It is not perfect yet, but we will keep developing and learning.

I think its not so clever decision to make all your job an open source, but its just their decision.
Anyway that game can’t be use as template for my game.

Last chance is BPPlayer.

edit: I ask the student of a law for my idea, its seems legal.

Hi Janek667,

BPPlayer is not GPL’d and it allows devs to distribute BGE games under any license they wish. BPPlayer is a separate standalone application that does not shared any of Blender’s code base. It is considered a separate work and is not bound by the GPL.

With that said, the latest BPPlayer version only (officially) supports up to Blender 2.68. The (yet to be released) BPPlayer v1.07 will support Blender 2.73 and 2.74. It will also include an optional feature that allows users to automatically download Blenderplayers separately. This feature is similar to how Ubuntu (open and GPL’d) downloads and installs NVidia’s (proprietary) drivers at request.

Edit: BPPlayer is basically a more elaborate version of what you described in your first post.

Ok, Now I see. Its very similar.
In my idea I get out all GPL from game just for a while you are selling that <—> You are separate to stand alone.
Nice to hear that player is stand alone (just like launcher). Also protecting .blend files by encryption is
good way (.block). It’s seems to have no argument about licens.

Soon. I will see what Steam specifically request.