Paradox says anyone can make a Vampire: The Masquerade game if they want to
The new Unbound publishing initiative makes the Vampire license available for free.
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If you’ve ever looked at the mess that isVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2and thought to yourself, “I could do better than that,” here’s your big chance to prove it. Paradox Interactive has launched a new indie publishing program calledUnboundthat allows independent developers to create games set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe, and to make money on them if they want.
The program arose from the success ofVampire Jam, a game jam that drew in more than 80 submissions—six of which will launch alongside the Unbound program.
“Following the Vampire Jam last year, we realized how passionate our community is about creating Vampire: The Masquerade games,” World of Darkness community developer Martyna Zych said.
“While we could only award one grand prize to Heartless Lullaby, we knew we had to create a platform that empowered our community to work on the projects they love while giving them the support they need to be successful. As long as World of Darkness fans continue making great games, there will be more titles coming through Unbound.”
Naturally, the Unbound program is not an open-ended free-for-all. Unbound games can only be offered on Itch.io (there’s anUnbound pagethere already) and developers cannot raise funds through crowdfunding or personal pages, although funding through methods allowed by theDark Pack agreement, including Patreon, YouTube, and Twitch, are okay. Games must be set in the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th edition story world, but won’t be considered officially canon in the World of Darkness universe and in fact cannot have either Vampire: The Masquerade or World of Darkness in the title. They can be historical or contemporary, but have to take place in the “real world” either way—no sci-fi, high fantasy, or steampunk, for instance.
Paradox will also keep 33% of any revenues earned on Unbound games. That’s a big cut—more than Steam takes—although arguably fair, given the free access to the Vampire license. Developers, on the other hand, will retain ownership of all game assets that don’t use World of Darkness property, and are free to sell them in art books, soundtracks, or whatever.
“You don’t have to be an experienced developer, or a game dev studio to join—we allow everyone in, from the creators of their first game to more experienced teams,” Paradox said.
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These are the first six games from the Vampire Jam launching under the Unbound program:
Interestingly, the grand prize winner,Heartless Lullaby, is not part of the program: It’s currently available on Steam, where it carries the official Vampire: The Masquerade title. Other Vampire Jam entries may appear in the Unbound lineup later, though, if their developers opt to submit them for consideration.
If you’re curious about submitting your own work for consideration, or just want to see what it’s all about, all the relevant info including the application form and detailed licensing agreement are available atworldofdarkness.com.
Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill.Lotsof Henry Cavill.
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