The deal in front of you was written to protect the publisher
That isn’t an accusation, it’s just how it works. A publishing agreement is drafted by the publisher’s lawyer, for the publisher, and it opens from their position. Nothing in it is there to look out for you. That’s your job, or your lawyer’s.
Most of the deals we review aren’t predatory. They’re just one-sided in the quiet places: how net revenue is defined, what the advance is recoupable against, how long the term runs, and whether you ever get your game back. Those terms don’t read as alarming. They read as boilerplate. And they decide how much of your own game’s success you actually keep.
Sometimes the people you’re negotiating with at the publisher aren’t the ones preparing the agreement, so there’s a serious mismatch between your expectation of the deal and the reality of the contract.
What we actually check
A publishing agreement comes down to a handful of terms that each move real money or real control:
The royalty, and how net revenue is defined, so your percentage is calculated on something real rather than on a number the publisher can whittle down. The recoupment: what the advance and marketing spend get recouped against, and in what order, because that’s what decides when you actually start getting paid. The IP ownership and license scope, so you grant only what the deal needs and keep the rest. The exclusivity, territory, and term. And the reversion: what comes back to you if the publisher underperforms or the deal ends.
Leave any of these to “it’s standard” and you’ve left the most important parts of the deal to someone whose interests aren’t yours. “Standard” for game publishing typically means they keep the game (and its sequels) forever and keep the lion’s share of the revenue.
Review, or review and negotiate
You choose how far it goes. Sometimes a developer just wants the deal read and the risks explained so they can decide with their eyes open. Other times they want the terms actually changed. We do both: a plain-English review first, then, if you want it, direct negotiation with the publisher on the points worth pushing on.
We work these from the developer’s side (and the publisher’s, but don’t hold it against us). The goal is a deal you can sign without wondering what you missed.
Before you sign, not after
The time to fix a publishing agreement is before it’s signed. Once your name is on it, the terms are the terms, and “I didn’t realize that’s what that meant” doesn’t reopen the deal. Send it over before you sign, and let’s make sure it’s one worth signing.