EULAs: the player licence

"I bought it, so it's mine"

A message lands in the studio inbox: "I paid for Hyper Shards, so I own it. Can I put a copy on my own website for my friends?"

What did the player actually buy? Not the game itself. The code, art and music still belong to the studio, protected by copyright, the right to decide who may copy and share a work. The player bought permission to play. That permission, and its rules, is written in a EULA.

A license, not ownership

A EULA (End User License Agreement) is a contract between the studio and each player. It grants a license: permission to install and play the game, with rules. The copyright stays with the studio.

The big stores say it plainly. Apple's standard EULA says apps "are licensed, not sold". Steam's Subscriber Agreement says "The Content and Services are licensed, not sold." And in California, a law in force since January 2025 makes sellers tell buyers clearly when a digital game is a license that can be taken away, not ownership.

What a EULA usually says

Refund rules live in each store's policy and on our own site (the Refunds, disputes and fraud lesson covers them). The rest is common to most games:

• No reverse engineeringApple's standard EULA forbids reverse-engineering or disassembling an app, or trying to get its source code.
• No cheatingSteam's agreement says players must not create cheats or help others use them.
• TerminationBreaking the rules can end the license. Steam may close accounts that cheat.
• Player contentIf players share levels or names, the terms give the studio permission to host and show them. Steam's agreement does this for anything players upload.
• Limits on liabilityA cap on what the studio pays if something goes wrong. Apple's standard EULA caps it at US$50, except where the law requires more.

Store EULAs, or our own

Each place we sell starts from a different point:

• App StoreApple's Standard EULA covers every app, unless the developer provides its own Custom EULA.
• SteamEvery player accepts the Steam Subscriber Agreement (Steam accounts are 13+). A studio can add its own EULA for its game as well.
• Our websiteHyper Shards as a PWA has no store in between, so the studio writes its own terms, and a lawyer checks them.

EULA, terms of service, privacy policy

• EULAThe license to the game itself: install it, play it, don't copy or hack it.
• Terms of serviceThe rules for an online service, like accounts, leaderboards and cloud saves: how to behave, and what happens if you don't.
• Privacy policyWhat data we collect, why, and how long we keep it. The Keeping player data safe lesson in Stage 4 explains it.

Three documents that players often mix up. Many studios combine the first two into one "Terms" page. The privacy policy is its own page.

Clear terms, and why a parent accepts

Terms only work if people can understand them. Good studios put a short plain-language summary at the top, use headings, and never hide surprises in tiny print.

Children can't always be held to a contract: in most countries, someone under 18 can cancel most contracts they make (the Why a company? lesson explains this). So many game terms ask a parent or guardian to read and accept them for a child, and make the parent responsible for purchases on the account. Our terms do the same.

Next: the name on the game

Writing terms is real teamwork. You list the rules our games truly need, a lawyer turns them into terms that work where we sell, and a parent accepts the store agreements for the company. Laws on consumer contracts differ between countries, which is why the lawyer matters.

A EULA protects the game's code and content. It can't protect the game's name. That needs a different law.

Bolt says: This is general information, not legal advice. Next: names, logos and trademarks.