*A Note Prior: I've uploaded screens for Zombies Ate my Neighbors blog from yesterday. Sorry for the wait!*
I've always been a fan of the Battlefield franchise, and have written bits of short stories based in their Battlefield 2142 universe. I recently decided to go the full mile and write a novel (more specifically, a two-part novel series) based in the Battlefield 2142 setting, circulating a single squad known as 'Bravo-7'.Before beginning the full-blown writing project, however, I thought I should make sure EA would allow me to use their franchise as a base for a story; specifically the weapons, vehicles, and locales from within the game Battlefield 2142. I was presented with a Product Submission Form that I must use to send in examples of my writing. I can only hope they don't just steal my idea, but I doubt they will.Any thoughts? Do I really need to worry about using the 2142 franchise or am I just being too paranoid about the world of copyright and trademark?
EA is one of those companies that are probably copyright arseholes. Like Fox. Or Prince. You'll probably have to release it for free to protect you from all the legal bullshit, because EA probably won't listen to a writer wanting to make money unless he has an impressive CV, no matter how good the novel is.
My perspective on it is to make an equally engrossing novel about the same universe without specifically mentioning it's 2142 or any of the original names for things in the game… Maybe that's too lame, but it's an alternative.I've considered it, to be honest. I'm not really concerned with making much money, I just love to write, but I have a problem with having my name taken off of something I've written. This exact mentality is why I would be wary about letting someone script a novel I've written.
EA's a pretty good company, and I doubt they'd steal your ideas. Certain companies might allow a well-known author to write something like that, though well-known authors typically come up with their own ideas instead.
If you don't care about making money off of it, fanworks are a common solution. I've seen some companies directly acknowledge these and even integrate them back into their ideas as thanks.Big companies probably won't do that. But Blizzard is pretty accepting of fanworks, and so is Shanghai Alice, but that's a one-man team so it's not saying much. Valve on the other hand asks for player content and puts it right into games like Team Fortress.Best of luck to you though. If you're really desperate to make this happen, worst case is you might have to change characters and other references to be your own ideas.That novel must feature FCYW's grandson
The story has to one squad in particular, my 'clan' you could say. We have had some awesome moments during gameplay and I love a good writing challenge. The ability to tie all of our most precious gaming moments together and also create a deep story is what I hope to achieve. The Battlefield 2142 universe isn't necessary, but it would be nice to have the support of EA. Either way, I hope to write the story, even if it just has to be a futuristic military piece, without regards to 2142.