Hi.
I’d like to better understand the intended licensing model for code plugins and tools on Fab; particularly as it pertains to larger/professional game development teams.
For developers offering code plugins intended for multi-person teams/studio use, my understanding is that these are - at least technically - supposed to be licensed per-seat.
I have not however been able to dig up much information on the details of how that’s supposed to work, and would like to understand the system better - both for setting prices/understanding what I’m asking for, and also to be able to advise customers/potential customers on actual costs and legal requirements - both of which are obviously very important to larger studios, and their legal departments.
Some of the questions I have in regard to the per-seat licensing system:
- What constitutes requiring a seat? (Eg., is it only developers who are actively engaged in building things with the product? Is it everyone working on the game? QA? External contractors? Do the licenses float in any way, or are they permanently tied to individuals? Etc.)
- How do customers purchase multiple licenses, given that the store does not appear to offer the option to buy more than one?
- Is there any centralized management or visibility into seat usage for customers?
- What happens if a studio - wittingly or not - uses a plugin for a period of time without having enough seats?
Has there been any internal discussion or roadmap consideration around alternate licensing models? For example:
- Project-based or SKU-based licensing
- Site licenses or enterprise tiers
- Revenue-share triggers or feature-based licensing tiers (ex., a “lite” version of the way the engine is licensed?)
- Are there any general circumstances where you would recommend setting up a custom licensing arrangement outside of Fab, so that the plugin can be distributed under different terms?
I don’t remember which page it was on, but I remember reading that the intent with Fab is to support all levels of game development, from indie to AAA. So I’m hoping that these questions are aligned with the overall Fab strategy.
Any insights, or information about where you see Fab headed would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
-Tim