Dwarf Fortress Devs Declined Six-Figure Licensing Offer

[KoudelkaMorgan]

So basically since this thread is becoming about 50% bitching about my hypothetical "if I was offered a million for the rights to blah blah blah" being /= to "offered six figures" yes I do understand basic math.

I chose to round up to what some would call the minimum "acceptable lump sum" from what I assumed was in the higher 6 figures. I didn't think this would even be worthy of being "news" if they were merely offered $100,000 to $200,000 as its not particularly hard to turn down that amount. (Though I would still take $100,000, ijs )

They stated that they may or may not have come out ahead financially based upon the unnamed sum being more OR less than what they might expect to receive as 10 year's earnings. In my mind I would assume they would probably want more than $10,000 a year so I rounded up in the effort to get to my point which was that I would take the money.

To everyone that seemed to be inclined to revel in their mathematical superiority, when I was using thinly veiled hyperbole, congrats. A winner is you.

Now to those who pointed out that I was incorrect in my notion that they were being offered the cash in exchange for basically all their assets and rights to the game, I freely admit that I was wrong.

In this case I would definitely take the money, because I would still have my game to work on, and if they dragged the name down somehow I could of course rebrand my product. Or not, I don't know that particulars of the deal.

 

[Scars Unseen]

So basically since this thread is becoming about 50% bitching about my hypothetical "if I was offered a million for the rights to blah blah blah" being /= to "offered six figures" yes I do understand basic math.

I chose to round up to what some would call the minimum "acceptable lump sum" from what I assumed was in the higher 6 figures. I didn't think this would even be worthy of being "news" if they were merely offered $100,000 to $200,000 as its not particularly hard to turn down that amount. (Though I would still take $100,000, ijs )

They stated that they may or may not have come out ahead financially based upon the unnamed sum being more OR less than what they might expect to receive as 10 year's earnings. In my mind I would assume they would probably want more than $10,000 a year so I rounded up in the effort to get to my point which was that I would take the money.

To everyone that seemed to be inclined to revel in their mathematical superiority, when I was using thinly veiled hyperbole, congrats. A winner is you.

Now to those who pointed out that I was incorrect in my notion that they were being offered the cash in exchange for basically all their assets and rights to the game, I freely admit that I was wrong.

In this case I would definitely take the money, because I would still have my game to work on, and if they dragged the name down somehow I could of course rebrand my product. Or not, I don't know that particulars of the deal.

The problem with taking the cash is that it is entirely possible that his donations would dry up if he took that deal. The sort of people who protest any concession to usability(because they want the game to stay niche) are the same sort that would cry "sell out" and abandon Toady if he went for that sort of deal.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

And I can respect that. Its easy for me, probably most of us, so say they would take the money having never been offered that much for anything that WE have made in our spare time before. Its the kind of thing that people dream of, well moreso making a product that people love and getting well compensated for it and not having someone want to have access to the NAME of our thingy.

In this case, its hard for me to relate as I have never had a creation that so many people enjoyed freely and judging from this thread if anything, quite passionately.

I've never been in a position where I had to weigh my own financial security with pissing off my fans for...getting money for a decision that has ZERO impact on the game I made that they AREN'T obligated to pay me a dime for.

Its a thin line between sure money for doing nothing, and possibly losing donations from fans. Still, I know I could live quite comfortably on $100k for at least 5 years. I don't consider relying on random people on the internet to pay me for my freeware title "living comfortably" because it could dry up in the blink of an eye for any of a million (i.e. 7 digits ) reasons.