For studios with years of shipped game code in their repositories
Sell game source code: what the engine lets you keep and pass on
- Subject
- Game middleware software data terms
- Date read
- Basis
- 19 vendors' own documents, 20 read
Your own code is yours to license, but a Unity or Unreal project also carries engine code, store-bought assets and middleware, each under its own licence. We read 20 licence documents from 19 engine, middleware and asset store vendors up to 2026-10-28 to show which parts can leave the studio.
Source: Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source
Tell us what the repositories hold
Game engine and middleware licences on a studio's code, vendor by vendor
- 4 of 19 game engine and middleware licences read up to 2026-10-28 say the studio owns what it builds.(Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
| Engine or middleware | Who owns the game built on it | Vendor's use of studio data for AI | Studio content at account end | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bevy | not stated | not stated | not stated | Bevy MIT licence |
| Crytek, CRYENGINE | not stated | not stated | no export promised | CRYENGINE Terms of Service |
| Defold | not stated | not stated | not stated | The Defold License |
| Epic Games, Unreal Engine | the business | not stated | not stated | Unreal Engine EULA |
| Epic Games, Unreal Engine content | the business | not stated | not stated | Unreal Engine content EULA |
| Esoteric Software, Spine Editor | not stated | not stated | not stated | Spine Editor License |
| Esoteric Software, Spine Runtimes | not stated | not stated | not stated | Spine Runtimes License |
| Fab | the business | not stated | not stated | Fab EULA |
| Firelight Technologies, FMOD | not stated | not stated | not stated | FMOD licensing page |
| Havok | the business | not stated | not stated | Havok terms of use |
| inkle, ink | not stated | not stated | not stated | ink MIT licence |
| Mirror | not stated | not stated | not stated | Mirror MIT licence |
| OGRE | not stated | not stated | not stated | OGRE licensing page |
| Open 3D Engine | not stated | not stated | not stated | O3DE licence file |
| RPG Maker | not stated | not stated | not stated | RPG Maker EULA |
| Unity Asset Store | not stated | not stated | not stated | Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA |
| Unity, Editor | not stated | not stated | not stated | Unity Editor Software Terms |
| Unity, packages | not stated | not stated | not stated | Unity Package Distribution License |
| Valve, Steamworks SDK | not stated | not stated | not stated | Steamworks SDK Access Agreement |
Each vendor's own published terms were read through estate-fetch and stored whole (sha256 on every row). For every document, four questions were answered from the vendor's own words: who owns the business's data, vendor keeps aggregated or anonymised use, training AI on the business's data, export at exit. Every stated answer carries the sentence it rests on, checked against the stored text; 'not stated' means the document read does not address the question. A vendor with several documents reads 'varies' where they disagree. 19 vendors, 20 documents.
Cite: “Game engine and middleware licences on a studio's code, vendor by vendor”, Sell Game Source Code, https://sellgamesourcecode.com/ (updated 2026-10-28).
The detail
Sourced, dated, kept current.
Sell Unity project files: what the Unity licences allow
Sell a Unity project? What the Unity Editor terms, package licence and Asset Store EULA let leave a studio, the AI training clause (g), and where Unity work sells.
Unreal Engine EULA: selling code built on Unreal
The Unreal Engine EULA on selling code: who owns your product, who may receive engine code, the generative AI training bar, and Fab's NoAI content.
Is game code copyrighted? US and UK rules on source code
Is game code copyrighted? How US and UK law protect a game's source code, registering it with a source code deposit, and who authors computer-generated code.
Game source code marketplace: stores, brokers and AI buyers
Every game source code marketplace we read: SellAnyCode, CodeCanyon, itch.io and the Unity Asset Store, business marketplaces, and the AI data buyers that take code.
How it works
- Say what engine the code is built on and what middleware it calls.
- We read those licences against the clauses on the board.
- You get a written answer on which parts are yours to license, and decide from there.
No engine maker, middleware vendor or buyer paid to appear here, none was asked before it was read, and no link on this site pays us. Our answers read published licences and are no substitute for legal advice on your own contracts. How this site is paid: if a studio licenses code or data to a buyer this site introduced, our fee is 12.5% of the deal, with a minimum, when we act as the studio's exclusive agent, or 10% with a minimum when its data joins a bundle or the pool, agreed in writing beforehand; any fee a buyer pays us is credited back to the studio.
Frequently asked
Can I sell my game's source code?
The code your team wrote, yes, if the studio holds its copyright. Unreal's EULA says you own all rights in the products you develop, other than rights in the engine itself. What you cannot sell is the engine, store-bought assets or middleware inside the project, which their own licences keep. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
Can I sell a Unity project with Asset Store assets in it?
Not with the assets as they stand. The Asset Store EULA lets a buyer distribute an asset only as incorporated and embedded in a licensed product, and its clause (g) bars using assets to train an AI or machine learning model without the express consent of the provider or Unity. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
Does the Unreal Engine EULA let me sell my code to an AI company?
Your own code, yes; the engine code, no. Unreal lets you distribute engine code only to a third party separately licensed by Epic for the same version, and its EULA bars any use that results in the licensed technology becoming a training input to a generative AI program. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
What about middleware like FMOD, Havok or Spine?
Their code stays with them. FMOD's EULA allows only the FMOD Engine run-time libraries to be distributed, Havok says redistribution outside the licence agreement is prohibited, and the Spine Runtimes require each user of a product to hold their own Spine Editor licence. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
Is game source code protected by copyright?
Yes, in both the US and the UK. US law defines a computer program as a set of statements or instructions used in a computer to bring about a result, and the Copyright Office treats source code and object code as two representations of the same work. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
Do engine makers keep a copy of my code or data?
On this board, 0 of the 19 licences reserve an aggregated or anonymised copy of a studio's data, and none of them says the vendor may train its own models on it. (Game middleware software data terms: every row, with its source)
Sources
This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:
- The law on copyright in a game's code: 10 US and UK rules on copyright in a game's source code, read 28 October 2026.
- What a game's source tree lets a seller pass on: 7 of 19 engine, middleware and asset store licences we read let their code or content leave a studio only compiled into the shipped game, read 28 October 2026.
- Game middleware software data terms: 0 of 19 game middleware software vendors whose terms we read reserve the right to use their customers' data in aggregated or anonymised form, read 28 October 2026.
- Who takes a game's source code: 3 of 14 organisations and marketplaces whose pages we read take a game's code without taking ownership of it, read 28 October 2026.
| No. | Source | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | Unreal Engine EULA | unrealengine.com |
| [2] | Unreal Engine content EULA | unrealengine.com |
| [3] | Unity Editor Software Terms | unity.com |
| [4] | Unity Package Distribution License | unity.com |
| [5] | Unity Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA | unity.com |
| [6] | Fab EULA | fab.com |
| [7] | CRYENGINE Terms of Service | cryengine.com |
| [8] | O3DE licence (Apache 2.0) | github.com |