I am planning on writing a "what if" novel for NaNoWriMo. The general plot is going to be based on the "what if" game World in Conflict. For those of you who do not know this game, it is basically, what would happen if the Cold War didn't end, and the Russians invaded America as a final push. While I haven't played the full game, I still want to write my novel based on the general plot. Would I need to contact the game's producers for permission?
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18,653 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2007 - 21 06
If you want to just take the idea that the Cold War didn't end and the USSR invades the US, that's pretty general and I'd doubt you have to have any special permission (though I have no special knowledge of this... just seems pretty general). If you wish to take more than that, like taking their characters, you'd have to have their permission to publish it in any way. You could write it and then, when you're ready to seek out a publisher, try and get permission. Permission would have to come from whatever company or person owns the copyright and you'd have to track that person/entity down and get them to sign a legal waiver (for which you'd likely need to hire an attorney).