My RPG Maker game was noticed by a company!!

[A_Higher_Plane]

So I have my game, Dark Assault, created by RPG Maker MV on the Google Play store. It is over 300 MBs long. It isn't really such a good game. But this mobile game company, Yodo1, has noticed it and has sent me an email about it!!

I have then even spoken to one of their representatives on Zoom. It seems 2 people from that company had played the demo version of my game. I had asked them why they had liked my game and they had said that it is so Zelda-like game. But this is an RPG game like the SNES/GBA/DS RPG games and not like Zelda!

Anyway is this good?

Oh and they have wanted to install their SDK API on my game. But since this is an RM-made game, that is not possible. So I had mentioned that I am even better at Unity C# Game Dev and had a game that was in development. They can install their SDK API on Unity. So we have decided to have me create a beta version of my game and install the API. Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be the 2 week deadline for this but this game is not finished yet. The API will analyze and test out the game and see how it can be improved. What do you guys think?

 

[ATT_Turan]

Anyway is this good?

Well...it's awesome for you if it's legitimate. But if I were you, I would be cautious that this company was trying to take advantage of you in some way.

I looked at the trailer for your game, and I agree with what you said: it's nothing like Zelda, and...well, you said you don't think it's a good game...I haven't played any of it to say if that's right or wrong. But it doesn't seem to use anything that isn't stock assets from MV (I did notice Yanfly's battle screen). Let's say it doesn't appear to show off your talents.

So to me, that makes me think that this company either has no clue what they're talking about, or is trying to flatter you. You then say that they want to take your work and apply their API to it (presumably to profit from in-app purchases?).

I'm not saying I think you should start ignoring their calls, but I wouldn't give them any of your work without an actual, legal contract and/or, preferably, payment up front.

 

[Quexp]

I know you already got a response but I'd hate for you (or anyone) to get duped. Their proposal sounds fishy. There's a smalll possibility it's just an ignorant company but would you want to trust a company that doesn't do their homework?

Red flags:

• Their "Zelda-like" compliment
• Lower game quality you mentioned
• They immediately agreed on moving to your Unity project, without checking out first.

Whatever you decide to do, please be extremely careful as there are so many creative scams to steal money and financial information.

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

Thanks for the help guys!!

Anyway should I let them install their API into the beta version of my Unity game? This game is still very incomplete.

They haven't even heard of RPG Maker game engines. They have heard of Unity, Unreal and Godot engines though.

But Google Yodo1. They can even at times make a publishing deal with you. I think that them making a deal with me is that they are just looking to make more money. What do you guys think of this part?

 

[The Stranger]

Personally, I'd err on the side of caution and turn them down. I wouldn't let them touch my work at all. That's just me, though.

 

[ATT_Turan]

Anyway should I let them install their API into the beta version of my Unity game?

I just don't understand why they'd want to. If they wanted to make a contract with you to make games that they'll publish, I understand them wanting a beta version from you. I understand them wanting to play a sample of your work.

But the only reason I can think of for them to install their in-app purchases API into something is for them to market it and profit from those purchases. So to me, that's a big red flag that they may want to abscond with your work.

I did look at them on the Play Store, and they have, like, 5 games which are all time-wasting games with mediocre reviews because you're pushed to dump money into the game.

 

[RCXGaming]

Thanks for the help guys!!

Anyway should I let them install their API into the beta version of my Unity game? This game is still very incomplete.

They haven't even heard of RPG Maker game engines. They have heard of Unity, Unreal and Godot engines though.

But Google Yodo1. They can even at times make a publishing deal with you. I think that them making a deal with me is that they are just looking to make more money. What do you guys think of this part?

Everything about this screams "you will be scammed" if you make a contract with them. I would turn them down immediately. I would not even entertain the notion.

Cause like. If they came to you without even knowing what RPG Maker is yet they still wanted to strike a deal with you to put their API into your game, they're looking for a sucker.

 

[HexMozart88]

I don't know much about this company stuff, but that looks sketchy even to me. The red flags I'm seeing are that they don't seem to know anything about your game or the engine. The only more obvious red flag they could have given is if the subject line was in Russian.

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

But what's wrong with trying out the "analytics" with the beta version of my game? The beta version can't be fully released.

 

[Finnuval]

Like other posters have mentioned too many alarms going of with this one.
I'd give it a hard pass.

But that's me xD

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

Oh I think that they're just a company that wants to keep making money. They have made $150 million so far. They are just businesspeople.

They have said that they won't publish my game unless something... But we want to do analytics for my game.

 

[TeiRaven]

This feels like it has what The Modern Rogue would call "the hallmarks of a con." There are lots of things going on here that you see a lot of in both phishing scams and 419 "Nigerian Prince" scams. There's not usually one big red flag that says "FRAUD," but there are a lot of yellow ones and they all add up to scam.

At any point in your life that you're tempted to hand over any kind of money, hard work, or sensitive information to someone, stop and ask yourself "did I contact them, or did they contact me?" If you get an email saying "Dear Customer, Yuor Bank Details have been Leaked, Click Here to change yuor password." You wouldn't click there to change your password--you'd go to your bank's website and change your password there, or you contact customer service with the number you know is for your bank, and ask if there had been a data breach. And if you don't even use that bank, obviously you wouldn't click--the same thing applies here.

You didn't make a Zelda-esque game, so why would they be praising a Zelda-esque game? Yellow flag. They don't deal in RPG Maker, but they want your RPG Maker game? Yellow flag.

They want a beta version of your far-from-finished game in two weeks? That creates a sense of urgency, and a contrived sense of urgency is a frequent flyer in scams. In 419 scams, it's "and that's why we need the money right now," and in phishing scams it's "you need to update this information right now." Any time someone tries to create that sense of urgency, stop and slow it down. Did you contact them, or did they contact you?

They contacted you out of the blue? Yellow flag. They want your beta in two weeks? Yellow flag.

Additionally...where did that $150 million factoid come from? If it came from their correspondence and not from a trusted outside source, it's about as reliable as me telling you that I have $300 million that I need to move out of Nigeria before my political enemies get hold of it, and I'm happy to give you two or three million as a thank-you.

Claims of large amounts of money available? Yellow flag.

One of the things that makes 419 scams so successful is the glimmer of hope that this could be your ticket to fame or fortune--and the treat you like you've already won to reinforce that glimmer. You wouldn't trust an email that said "congratulations you've won a trip to tropical paradise!" so why would you trust one that says "congratulations we are a multi-million dollar company that wants to publish your game!" Yellow flag.

Finally, that last thing you said--they won't publish my game unless something. But we do want analytics. If there is going to be one single red flag, THAT IS IT. Unless what? Unless you pay them? Unless you sign away all your rights to the game? Red flag, red flag, red flag! If you want analytics for your game, there are MUCH better ways to go about getting them implemented!

Trust your gut--the fact that you posted this thread, "is this a good thing?" means that something in you has raised the alarm. This particular scam may not be about getting money out of you (or it's a later step in their scam process) but I too would hate to see you taken advantage of. I agree with ATT_Turan--don't give them anything without a real, actual contract, and get that contract looked at by someone who has experience with contracts before you sign it.

Scammers are clever. Successful scams are the ones that don't look like scams at first glance. Take a look at these videos, they're some of my favorite looks on how cons work--Mark Rober glitterbombing scammers, The Modern Rogue on Phishing, and The Modern Rogue on 419 scams.

Sorry I sort of wrote an essay there, but there's a lot in this story that I don't like, and I think it's important that you really know why we're all over here shouting "NO!"

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

Actually I gave them the "2 weeks" deadline thing, not them to me. They have asked me if it would take 6 months.

And I have found out that the company has made $150 million in good, clean money via Google search. Google it yourself.

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

Look at this Reddit post about them too: . They are saying they are legit and are NOT a scam.

 

[The Stranger]

That thread also says they want to advertise through your game. I don't play mobile games, so have no real idea how it all works, but do ads popup during the game or something?

 

[RCXGaming]

Look at this Reddit post about them too: . They are saying they are legit and are NOT a scam.

That email they got is literally an ad generated by a bot and not a real person talking to them. Yodo can say they're legitimate all they want but everything they've done with you so far has proven they're way too suspicious to even bother with.

Does it not like... click that there's something seriously wrong here with these offers?

Even if they were legitimate, I wouldn't trust a company that wants me to put their microtransaction tech in an unfinished product of mine after not even bothering to research what RPG Maker even is.

 

[ATT_Turan]

Oh I think that they're just a company that wants to keep making money. They have made $150 million so far. They are just businesspeople.

They have said that they won't publish my game unless something... But we want to do analytics for my game.

How does that make sense? "Doing analytics" for a video game means analyzing how players interact with it, which means releasing it to some number of people.

Additionally, they can say whatever they want, but once you give them a game that has their ad software embedded in it, they can release and do anything else to it they like - if they have any amount of money, are you going to be able to file international legal action against them?

Anyhow, I'm out of this thread...you started it to ask for advice, and literally every respondent has said this sounds shady. If you are not inclined to listen to any of those arguments, and none of the things you've told us makes you think it sounds shady...then, frankly, you are exactly the kind of person they're looking for.

Good luck.

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

Well I have shown you the Reddit thing. Those people know it better than the people here. I have shown that some of your assumptions are wrong.

And here is something more: https://www.yodo1.com/ . This is their company. A scam busting website has said that this website is to be trusted.

This website says "Trusted by Thousands of Studios" and there are a lot of testimonials from the website saying how good the services are.

And there is no proof this is a scam company.

 

[Finnuval]

Well I have shown you the Reddit thing. Those people know it better than the people here. I have shown that some of your assumptions are wrong.

And here is something more: https://www.yodo1.com/ . This is their company. A scam busting website has said that this website is to be trusted.

This website says "Trusted by Thousands of Studios" and there are a lot of testimonials from the website saying how good the services are.

And there is no proof this is a scam company.

You wanted ppl's opinions you got them. You dont like them - tough.

but it sounds like you already made up your mind anyway so why even bother asking?
At this point you're just defending said company - which is fine. good for you but yeah, dont ask for opinions if you dont really want to hear them in the first place

 

[A_Higher_Plane]

You wanted ppl's opinions you got them. You dont like them - tough.

but it sounds like you already made up your mind anyway so why even bother asking?
At this point you're just defending said company - which is fine. good for you but yeah, dont ask for opinions if you dont really want to hear them in the first place

Now did I specifically ask if this company was to be trusted? No I didn't! I've asked for something else. The company is trustworthy.