Game studios close for reasons that have little to do with the quality of their work: a publisher pulls funding, a launch underperforms, a platform deal falls through. A shelved game, even an unfinished one, often contains years of serious engineering: gameplay systems, AI behavior, physics tweaks, networking, tools, shaders and build pipelines. Odys AI Labs, the research and development arm of Odys, buys the code of games and studios’ software that is no longer used, for cash, for AI training and R&D.
What your code is likely still worth
Game code is unusual and useful. It mixes real-time systems, mathematics, networking, user interface and content tooling in one codebase, often in C++, C#, Lua or a custom scripting language, with performance constraints most web code never meets. Studio tools add more: level editors, asset pipelines, localization systems and automated build and test rigs.
What a studio usually leaves behind also includes material beyond code: design documents, technical design docs, a bug database, sprint tickets and post-mortems. Those explain why the code looks the way it does, and they add value. Our guide on docs, tests, tickets and designs explains why.
Suppose a twenty-person studio spent three years on a co-op survival game in Unreal, with a custom C++ inventory and crafting system, dedicated server code, an in-house level streaming tool and a Jira project with thousands of tickets. The publisher cancelled it six months before release and the studio closed. As an illustration, the team’s own code and tools in that depot are a substantial, original codebase. If it was a mobile title that reached the stores, our page on what to do with a dead mobile app’s code covers the store-specific steps.
Shelved and never-released games qualify, as long as the code is a complete product rather than a vertical slice (a short demo level built to pitch the game). We do not publish price figures. A cash offer typically follows review, and it looks at the code and tools, not at sales the game never had. How we value a codebase is explained on the call.
What a buyer will check
- What is yours. Your team’s code versus the engine, middleware and plugins.
- Publisher terms. Who owns the game’s IP under the publishing or funding agreement.
- Licensed content. Asset store packs, licensed audio, fonts and outsourced art.
- Platform material. Console SDK code and documents covered by platform agreements.
- Version control. Whether history survives in Perforce, Plastic SCM or git, and whether large binaries are separable from code.
- Player data. Accounts, telemetry and chat from live servers.
Three risks specific to this situation
1. The publisher may own the game. Many studios are funded by publishers, and the publishing agreement decides who owns the result. If the publisher owns the game’s IP, the studio cannot sell its code, even after the studio closes. If the publisher holds only a license, or the rights reverted when the game was cancelled, the studio may be free to sell. Find the agreement and any cancellation or termination letter. This is not legal advice; a lawyer should read the clauses before you offer anything.
2. Engine, middleware and platform code mixed into your repository. Game repositories often contain far more than the team’s code: a modified copy of engine source, middleware such as audio or physics SDKs, paid plugins, and console platform code and libraries shared under strict agreements. None of that is yours to sell. Using third-party code is normal and does not stop a sale; what is sold is the code your team wrote, and everything else stays under its own license. The practical job is to separate it, which is often easier than it looks, because engine and SDK folders are usually distinct. Our guide on open source inside your codebase covers the same principle for open-source libraries. Never remove license notices from third-party files.
3. The studio is closing through insolvency. If the studio is in administration or liquidation, the owners may no longer be the people who decide. In the UK, a liquidator has the power to sell a company’s assets, including its code, and in the US, in a Chapter 7 case the trustee sells the company’s assets to pay creditors. If the studio was dissolved without dealing with its code, getting it back can be harder. Our guide to selling code after dissolution or liquidation covers who can sign in each case. This is not legal advice; the insolvency practitioner or a lawyer should confirm.
What to do this month
- Secure the version control server before hosting or office leases end; take a full copy of the Perforce depot or git repositories with history.
- Find the publishing, funding and platform agreements and note what each says about IP.
- List engine source, middleware, plugins and platform SDK folders so they can be left out.
- List licensed art, audio and fonts, and which assets your own team created.
- Separate player data: account databases, telemetry exports and chat logs stay out.
- Export the design documents, bug database and sprint tickets.
Your options
| Option | For a closed studio or shelved game |
|---|---|
| Sell the code | Cash for the team’s work; engine, licensed assets and player data stay out |
| Find a new publisher | Possible for a nearly finished game with strong material to show |
| Open source | Loved by players and modders, but it cannot then be sold exclusively, and engine, SDK and licensed files must be left out first |
| Archive | Keeps options open while depots and accounts are still paid for |
| Delete | Often happens by accident when servers are switched off |
If you sell, we never use the studio’s name or the game’s brand and never relaunch the game as yours. Odys AI Labs uses the code for AI training and R&D after cleaning, and we may also work on it with research partners. Sales are confidential.
Keep the process safe for the studio and its former staff. We never ask anyone to install or run anything, and no code changes hands before a signed written agreement. If anyone offers to buy a studio’s code but wants access to the depot first, or asks someone to run a tool on a machine with studio credentials, say no.
What to do next
- Copy the full version control history before servers or leases end.
- Read the publishing agreement and separate engine, middleware and licensed assets.
- Send us a few details for a free code valuation, with no code and no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell a game made in Unity or Unreal?
You can sell the code your team wrote, such as gameplay scripts, tools, editor extensions, shaders, server code and build pipelines. The engine itself stays under its own license and is not part of the sale. Licensed engine source, if you had access to it, is not yours to sell. What is offered is your team's original work on top.
Our publisher funded the game. Who owns the code?
It depends on the publishing agreement. Some publishers take ownership of the game and its code, some take a license and leave ownership with the studio, and some split it. Read the IP clause before offering anything. This is not legal advice; a lawyer can read the agreement and tell you what the studio can sell.
Do you buy the art, music and game assets too?
What we buy is the source code and its supporting material, such as history, design documents, tests, ticket exports and design files the studio owns. Art, audio and models bought from asset stores or licensed from outside creators stay under their own terms and are not the studio's to sell. Mention on the form which assets your own team created, so the review starts from an accurate picture.
What about player accounts and multiplayer data?
We never take databases, user records, customer data or chat logs. Player accounts, match histories, in-game chat and support tickets with player details stay out of any sale, and personal data is removed from the code before transfer. We help with that cleaning step, and nothing changes hands before a signed agreement.
Find out what your old code is worth right now.
Tell us about the product in about a minute. No code needed. We review the details and come back with a cash offer or a plain no.
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