{"id":14489,"date":"2026-09-24T10:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T10:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/?p=14489"},"modified":"2026-09-24T10:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T10:31:07","slug":"what-contract-clauses-should-indie-developers-watch-for-in-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/business-faqs\/what-contract-clauses-should-indie-developers-watch-for-in-p\/","title":{"rendered":"What contract clauses should indie developers watch for in portal publishing deals?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Check five things before signing: whether the license is exclusive or non-exclusive, what IP rights you keep, how revenue share and its denominator are defined, payout thresholds and methods, and who controls ad placement and frequency in your game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Fact<\/th>\nValue<\/th>\nSource<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Exclusivity clause determines other portal use<\/td>\ncheck before signing<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
IP ownership vs license\/sublicense wording<\/td>\nread carefully<\/td>\nwiki.playgama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ad frequency limits often set by platform<\/td>\nusually capped at 1 min<\/td>\nwiki.playgama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Read a portal deal for five clauses before you sign anything: exclusivity, IP\/license scope, revenue-share definition, payout terms, and who controls ads in your game.<\/p>\n

Exclusivity.<\/strong> Some deals require you to keep the game off other portals for a period, or forever. Others are non-exclusive: you keep the rights and only grant a sublicense to publish. Playgama’s developer terms<\/a> work this way – rights stay with the developer, and there are no separate legal documents beyond the terms accepted at registration.<\/p>\n

IP and license scope.<\/strong> Check whether the contract says “assign” or “license\/sublicense” – assigning transfers ownership, licensing does not. Also check whether the license covers just the named portal or an unlimited list of “partner sites,” and whether that list is disclosed.<\/p>\n

Revenue share basis.<\/strong> Ask what the percentage is calculated on – net or gross – and whether it’s the same rate everywhere or different for on-site play versus syndicated\/iframe distribution.<\/p>\n

Payout terms.<\/strong> Note the minimum payout threshold and accepted methods (PayPal, bank transfer, crypto, etc.) – a high threshold with slow accrual can trap small balances indefinitely.<\/p>\n

Ad control.<\/strong> Some deals let you set your own ad frequency inside the game; others impose platform-wide caps (commonly around one ad per minute, since showing ads more often risks blocking). Confirm who decides this before launch.<\/p>\n

Where to check these clauses across portals<\/h2>\n