License Agreement | Cardswild Engine

Note: This document is provided for informational purposes and is not a substitute for legal advice. We recommend consulting your own attorney before entering into any licensing agreement. That said, we’ve written this in plain English because we believe clarity builds trust.

1. Parties

This agreement is between Cardswild (“Licensor”), the creator and owner of the Cardswild game engine, and you (“Licensee”), the individual or entity licensing the engine to create a themed card game.

Cardswild made the engine. You’re licensing it to build your own game.

2. What You’re Licensing

Cardswild grants you a non-exclusive, worldwide license to use the Cardswild game engine (“Engine”) to create, distribute, and sell themed card games. The Engine includes:

Game mechanics: card categories, turn structure, prerequisite system, deck composition, scaling formulas, reflect mechanic, and win conditions
Source code: JavaScript game engine, PHP backend, database schema
Simulation models: Python-based Monte Carlo balance testing tools
Templates: card layouts, website skins, rules templates, print production guides
AI opponents: computer player strategy logic
Documentation: engine specification, theme configuration schema, quickstart guide

You get the full engine: code, tools, templates, docs. Everything you need to build and launch a game.

3. Intellectual Property

Engine IP (Cardswild owns): All game mechanics, rules, card category systems, turn structures, prerequisite systems, deck compositions, scaling formulas, reflect mechanics, AI strategies, and simulation models remain the intellectual property of Cardswild. This includes any modifications, adaptations, derivatives, or improvements you make to these mechanics.

Theme IP (you own): All creative work you produce is entirely your intellectual property. That covers card names, art, illustrations, flavor text, branding, marketing copy, game name, tagline, domain, website content, and customer relationships. Cardswild claims no ownership of your creative work.

The mechanics are ours. Everything you create on top of them is yours. Forever. Even if you modify the mechanics, those modifications are still engine IP. Your theme, art, and branding are always yours.

4. Creative Freedom

You have complete creative freedom over your themed game. No approval from Cardswild is required for:

Your choice of theme, art style, card names, or flavor text
Your marketing, pricing, or distribution strategy
Modifications to game mechanics (though engine IP terms still apply)
Your website design, branding, or customer experience

Creative freedom is a first principle of this license.

Build whatever you want. We trust you to make something great. You don’t need our permission.

5. Licensing Fees

Licensing fees are based on the number of physical game copies sold (or digital equivalents distributed for a fee):

First 1,000 games sold: Free, with no licensing fee
1,001-100,000 games: $1.00 per game sold
100,001-500,000 games: $0.50 per game sold
500,001+ games: $0.10 per game sold

Free copies distributed for marketing, review, or promotional purposes are not counted.

You pay nothing until you’ve sold 1,000 games. Then $1 per game until 100K. Then it drops. Promo copies don’t count.

6. Accounting and Reporting

Sales reporting is self-reported and honor-based. Your private accounting should tend to our simple and incredibly low licensing fees.

We ask that you report your cumulative games sold annually, or whenever you cross a pricing tier threshold. A simple email with your game count is sufficient.

If you’re doing well, please make sure Cardswild is appropriately compensated. If you’re not doing well, there is no risk to you. You owe nothing beyond what you’ve sold.

We trust you. Report your sales once a year. If your game takes off, keep us in the loop. If it doesn’t, you owe nothing.

7. Distribution Rights

You have full creative and business license to sell and distribute your game any way you see fit:

Direct sales through your own website
Online marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc.)
Wholesale to retail stores, gift shops, and game stores
Convention and event sales
International distribution
Digital distribution

You set your own retail price. Cardswild does not dictate pricing or distribution channels.

Sell wherever you want, however you want, at whatever price you want.

8. Sublicensing

You may sublicense the Engine to others. The Engine mechanics remain Cardswild intellectual property through any sublicense chain. Sublicensees are bound by the same IP terms as direct licensees.

You can let others use the engine through you. The mechanics always trace back to Cardswild.

9. “Powered by Cardswild” Requirement

All games built on the Engine must display the “Powered by Cardswild” badge:

On the card back design (small, unobtrusive)
On the game box or packaging (back panel)
In the website footer

Cardswild provides the badge in multiple formats and sizes via the Brand Kit. The badge must be legible but does not need to be prominent.

Put our small badge on your card backs, box, and site footer. We provide the files. It’s subtle and professional.

10. Term and Termination

This license is perpetual. It does not expire. You may terminate this agreement at any time by ceasing use of the Engine and notifying Cardswild.

Cardswild may terminate this license only if:

You materially misrepresent your sales figures (after reasonable notice and opportunity to correct)
You remove the “Powered by Cardswild” badge and do not restore it after notice
You claim ownership of the Engine mechanics themselves (not your modifications to them)

If terminated, your existing game copies already sold or distributed remain in the market. You may not produce new copies.

The license lasts forever. We can only end it if you lie about sales, remove our badge, or claim you invented the engine. Even then, games already sold stay sold.

11. Hosted Services (Multi-Tenant)

If you choose the hosted deployment model (your game runs on Cardswild infrastructure), Cardswild will make commercially reasonable efforts to maintain uptime and availability. However, hosted services are provided “as-is” with no service level agreement (SLA).

Cardswild may discontinue hosted services with 90 days notice. In that event, you will receive a turn-key deployment package to self-host your game independently at no additional cost.

If you use our hosting, we’ll keep it running. If we ever stop offering hosting, you get 90 days notice and a free self-hosting package.

12. Engine Updates

Cardswild may release updates to the Engine (bug fixes, new features, performance improvements). Updates will not break existing theme configurations. Backward compatibility is a design commitment.

For hosted games: updates are applied automatically. For self-hosted games: updates are available for download at your discretion.

We’ll keep improving the engine. Your game won’t break when we do. Hosted games update automatically; self-hosted games update when you choose.

13. No Warranty

The Engine is provided “as-is” without warranty of any kind. Cardswild does not guarantee that the Engine will be error-free, uninterrupted, or suitable for any particular purpose. Your use of the Engine is at your own risk.

The engine works great and we use it ourselves. We can’t guarantee perfection. Use at your own risk.

14. Limitation of Liability

Cardswild’s total liability under this agreement shall not exceed the total licensing fees you have paid in the 12 months preceding any claim. Cardswild is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

If something goes wrong, the most we’d owe you is what you’ve paid us in the last year.

15. Governing Law

This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, United States. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Colorado.

16. Entire Agreement

This document constitutes the entire agreement between Cardswild and the Licensee. It supersedes any prior discussions, representations, or agreements. Amendments must be in writing.

Ready to get started? View the License at a Glance →