Legal Stuff...!

[OMGITSAMACGAMER]

So me and my friends are trying to release our game to steam but we're only 14. How can we go round creating a business name and all that stuff when we're underage/minors. So i know we can do it with parental signatures(and all that kinda stuff) but can we still put it under our own details (our names, dob, bank details)or will it pretty much be our parents signing up for all of the stuff we need?

Thx

[zassou]

have you consulted your parents? i pretty sure you can do self publishing on steam nowadays with the steam direct whatnot. you can probably can do away in your parents' name.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

I'd go with what @zassou said, just check with your parents that their ok with you publishing it under their name. I'm sure as well any money made off the game they'd give to you as it's yours.

[OMGITSAMACGAMER]

hey, thx guys, my parents are fine with it, but one more question, so i know now that me and my friends would be a 'general partnership' and we also know what our name would be but do we still have to register our name and as a general partnership or can we just list our name and and so on(on the steam form). Because my mum said it'd be alot of of work...filling out forms, taxes...

 

[killcomic]

1 hour ago, OMGITSAMACGAMER said:

hey, thx guys, my parents are fine with it, but one more question, so i know now that me and my friends would be a 'general partnership' and we also know what our name would be but do we still have to register our name and as a general partnership or can we just list our name and and so on(on the steam form). Because my mum said it'd be alot of of work...filling out forms, taxes...

 

You know, it might help if you state what country you're in. There are these crazy things call countries and some of these 'countries' have different laws.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

2 hours ago, killcomic said:

You know, it might help if you state what country you're in. There are these crazy things call countries and some of these 'countries' have different laws.

And, if you are in the SSA (Squabbling States of America), the State you are in would also be needed. The SSA is probably the most legally diverse (and perverse) country around.

[OMGITSAMACGAMER]

Ok sorry, im in "Australia/WA/Perth"

[OMGITSAMACGAMER]

Perth if that helps too.

[Hyung]

You would need a apply ABN and etc. I am pretty sure it a long list but won't be hard and good luck.

Edit:
Do you have to publish on steam? Is it going to cost? 
 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Hyung said:

You would need a apply ABN and etc. I am pretty sure it a long list but won't be hard and good luck.

ABN should be on the top of your list.

 

I don't understand why you would need to create a whole business to upload an independent game to steam though. I understand that there is revenue and income from it, but I just think it's stupid.

 

I think it's $100 to put your game up on Steam Direct which is what you'll need to publish your game. I'm not even sure that you NEED to create a whole business.

 

Besides, look at the kid that made Unturned, I think. He was 14 when he created the game.

 

Or you can always put your game on a well-populated indie game site. 

 

[Canada EH]

On 10/25/2018 at 8:40 PM, OMGITSAMACGAMER said:

So me and my friends are trying to release our game to steam but we're only 14. How can we go round creating a business name and all that stuff when we're underage/minors. So i know we can do it with parental signatures(and all that kinda stuff) but can we still put it under our own details (our names, dob, bank details)or will it pretty much be our parents signing up for all of the stuff we need?

Thx

You start a business by going to wherever Aussies can create businesses and talking to lawyer. Its probably similar to Canada where you hit the registry aka DMV and fill out the papers, you pay for a name search and wait. You hit up city hall and get a business license and a tax license. At 14, wont happen unless one of your parents do it under their name, their address, their risk, their liability. Which reminds me, insurance, gotta have it. You do not want to spend money and go through all the work and have a company like a sole proprietorship where you personally are liable, you want the company and the company assets to be liable, that is precisely why you spend $200+ rather then $20. There is more that goes into an inc, like filing systems, shares, types of shares. Its easy to wing it, the registry/dmv just wants your cash. But if you miss filing taxes, the government will and can freeze your accounts and you could be traveling and be literally poooched.

Whats stupid is having personal liability, you want to shift it to your incorporated company which is an independent entity, which can own property, it can own vehicles. I started one of many companies specifically for one vehicle I bought so the plate would come up under that company name. Other then that, Steam would have rules so you must find out what Steam requires for its game makers.