Define: Game Features
Game Features refers to the functional and creative elements available to users within a software game, such as levels, points, avatars, equipment, and multi-player functionality. In a contract, the term is used to define exactly what is being licensed, developed, maintained, or restricted, setting boundaries for scope, updates, and permitted use between the parties involved.
Legal accuracy standard set & glossary spot-checked by Imad Mohammed Nazar , Skadden-trained M&A lawyer, Legal Engineer at GenieAI
What Game Features Means in a Contract
Game Features is a defined term used to describe the specific elements a user can access or interact with inside a piece of software. This typically includes levels, scoring systems, avatars, virtual equipment, and multi-player functionality, but the exact scope depends entirely on how the drafting party chooses to define it. Because games vary enormously in design, this term acts as a placeholder that gets tailored to the actual product being licensed, developed, or maintained.
In a contractual context, the term matters because it draws a line around what the agreement actually covers. A developer, publisher, or platform operator will want clarity on which features are included in a license grant, which are subject to maintenance obligations, and which might be added or removed over time. Without a clear definition, disputes can arise over whether a change to the game, such as removing a popular feature or altering how points are earned, breaches the contract.
The term is also relevant to intellectual property allocation. Game Features often overlap with proprietary assets, such as custom avatars or unique mechanics, so the definition can influence who owns what and how those elements may be used, modified, or sublicensed.
How Game Features Is Defined or Measured
Most agreements define Game Features by listing categories rather than attempting an exhaustive inventory. Common categories include progression systems (levels, achievements, points), customization elements (avatars, skins, equipment), and social or competitive elements (multi-player modes, leaderboards, chat functions). Some contracts attach a schedule or appendix listing the specific features included at the time of signing, which is then updated as the game evolves.
Measurement of Game Features is less about quantifying value and more about identifying scope. A contract might state that Game Features means only those elements existing at the effective date, or it might use broader language capturing future additions. This distinction matters for licensing fees, revenue sharing, and support obligations, since a narrower definition limits what a party is contractually bound to maintain or pay for.
- Static definitions: fixed list agreed at signing, requiring amendment for changes.
- Dynamic definitions: language that automatically captures future updates or expansions.
- Hybrid definitions: a core list plus a mechanism for adding features by written notice.
Where Game Features Appears in Agreements
The term commonly appears in licensing agreements, publishing agreements, and platform terms of service where a game is made available to end users or distributed through a third party. It also appears in Relevant Circumstances
Relevant Sectors