Games that can be reproduced and sold

[tepples]

With the recent rise of reproduction topics on NESdev BBS, some people have become worried about legality, morality, and forum clutter. There have been calls to clean it up. As one step toward cleaning it up, I've decided to make a list of games whose author allows everyone to reproduce and sell them. I'll start by listing NES games that I'm aware of that are free as in DFSG:

• Concentration Room (by Damian Yerrick, GNU GPL)
• Double Action Blaster Guys (by Joshua Hoffman)
• Escape from Pong (by Adam Gashlin, 3-clause BSD)
• LAN Master (by Shiru, CC0)
• Lawn Mower (by Shiru, CC0)
• NES15 (by Mathew Brenaman, 2-clause BSD)
• RHDE: Furniture Fight (32K version) (by Damian Yerrick, GNU All-Permissive)
• Russian Roulette (by Damian Yerrick, GNU All-Permissive)
• Thwaite (by Damian Yerrick, GNU GPL)
• Zap Ruder (by Damian Yerrick, GNU All-Permissive)
• Zooming Secretary (by PinWizz and Shiru, CC-BY)
• The 1007 Bolts (by User, CC0)

This list may look familiar to you. Several of the games on this list are included in a series of multicarts sold as a fundraiser for future NESdev competitions. But I'm under the impression that the permission for many of the other games in that compilation is specific to that fundraiser.

So anyway, if you've developed a playable homebrew game for NES or Super NES, and you're fine with people making carts of your game and selling them on eBay or the like, list it here. Even no-derivatives licenses (CC BY-ND) are fine for purposes of repros, as long as they don't have a non-commercial (-NC) clause.

[koitsu]

Thanks tepples. Edited my original poll post to mention this thread.

[zzo38]

You may list the ones with ND (and others that aren't OSI/FSF/DFSG compatible) in a separate list (although in the same message); I think this would be useful too. It might be useful also to have a link to a wiki article to specify any possible trademark issues and accepting donations and of course if you want information about the game itself such as how to download.

For me, personally, this list can be useful for a project I intend to do in the future; I can put many or all of them (including ones for GameBoy and so on), together with emulators, and some games I might write myself (which might be emulated and/or native code), on some DVD which is included with a computer system. I may make (one-time) donations to the original authors, if I do this.

The game I made "Famicom Hangman" is also free software and I allow anyone to make reproduction and sell it or whatever if they want to. However, it is untested (I do not currently own any NES or Famicom hardware), and there may be trademark issues with some of the included phrases (being able to mark them may be helpful in case you need to remove them). You might want to correct one or both of these issues in order to included it in such a list, but I don't know if it is or not.

[Nioreh]

Feel free to add Mineshaft to the list.

[NovaSquirrel]

Double Action Blaster Guys (and any future games by me) is fine for making into cartridges or put in compilations with other games. In fact, they're all NROM-128 specifically to make them more attractive for uses like that.

[GameMachineJames]

Shiru didn't release Alter Ego this way?

I thought the reason he included art was so people could make repros.

[Shiru]

Alter Ego is not my original creation, it is a port done with permission from Denis, the author of the original version. We (including Kulor, the author of the music) aren't negotiated an exact license, so I couldn't put one on this game. However, Denis gave me right to decide whatever to do with the NES version, so making repros for personal use is fine. Porting the game to other retro platforms is fine too, but better to ask Denis first (he allows it generally). Porting it to modern platforms isn't OK, as Denis have his own commercial (extended and improved) version(s) of the game for modern platforms.

[Vectrex2809]

I made a little Hangman game I posted on Nintendoage a while ago. Has no sound but works as it should. You can use it for anything you want as long as you credit me.
File attached below

[slobu]

Alter Ego is not my original creation, it is a port done with permission from Denis, the author of the original version. We (including Kulor, the author of the music) aren't negotiated an exact license, so I couldn't put one on this game. However, Denis gave me right to decide whatever to do with the NES version, so making repros for personal use is fine. Porting the game to other retro platforms is fine too, but better to ask Denis first (he allows it generally). Porting it to modern platforms isn't OK, as Denis have his own commercial (extended and improved) version(s) of the game for modern platforms.

Probably should be on a separate list if it's only free for personal use.

[slobu]

Alter Ego is not my original creation, it is a port done with permission from Denis, the author of the original version. We (including Kulor, the author of the music) aren't negotiated an exact license, so I couldn't put one on this game. However, Denis gave me right to decide whatever to do with the NES version, so making repros for personal use is fine. Porting the game to other retro platforms is fine too, but better to ask Denis first (he allows it generally). Porting it to modern platforms isn't OK, as Denis have his own commercial (extended and improved) version(s) of the game for modern platforms.

Probably should be on a separate list if it's only free for personal use.

I've seen Alter Ego in the content section for RetroArch. Retroarch is sometimes bundled with mini arcade cabs stuffed with raspberry pis sold on Etsy and at retro game expos. Is it okay to distribute this way (on a commercially sold raspberry pi bundle)?

Retroarch Content section for reference:
https://buildbot.libretro.com/assets/co ... %20System/

[Jedi QuestMaster]

You can add this to the list: http://www.romhacking.net/homebrew/88/

[Punch]

https://github.com/AleffCorrea/BrickBreaker

MIT Ricensed.