No, reputable portals do not take ownership. You keep the rights and grant them a sublicense to publish and distribute your game. Check each portal’s own terms page for exclusivity, revenue share and payout threshold before uploading, since these vary.
At a glance
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What a sublicense grants a portal | right to publish, not ownership | wiki.playgama.com |
No. Reputable web game portals ask for a license to publish and distribute your game, not ownership of it. A sublicense means you keep copyright and the right to publish the same game anywhere else; the portal only gets permission to host, show and distribute it under the terms you accepted. On Playgama, for example, publishing is non-exclusive: rights stay with the developer, Playgama receives a sublicense to publish, and there are no legal documents beyond the terms accepted at registration.
Before uploading anywhere, find and read:
- Whether the license is exclusive or non-exclusive
- What revenue share applies and where it’s calculated from
- The payout threshold
- Whether there’s a separate document beyond the site’s terms of service
Each portal publishes this on its own developer pages, so check Poki, CrazyGames, GameDistribution, itch.io and playgama.com directly rather than relying on summaries elsewhere, since terms change and vary by portal.
What if a portal wants exclusivity?
Some deals do ask for exclusive distribution in exchange for better placement or a guaranteed revenue arrangement; that’s a separate, explicit clause you should be able to find and negotiate, not something buried in general terms. If you want to keep the freedom to publish the same build on multiple portals, confirm non-exclusivity in writing before you upload.
Sources
- Playgama for developers
- Playgama wiki: General
- Poki for developers
- CrazyGames for developers
- GameDistribution
- itch.io creators FAQ
Related questions
Can I publish the same game on multiple portals?
Yes, if each license is non-exclusive. Confirm this on every portal’s terms page before uploading, since exclusivity clauses would block parallel distribution.
Do I need a lawyer to publish on a web game portal?
Not usually. Most portals only require accepting standard terms at signup; read them, but a separate contract is not typical for non-exclusive publishing.
What happens to my rights if I remove my game from a portal?
Since ownership never transferred, removing the game simply ends the portal’s sublicense to distribute it; you retain full rights throughout.
Last updated: 24 September 2026