GEARBOUND: ODYSSEY – CONTRIBUTOR CONSENT AND NDA (VOLUNTEER)
Extynct Studios
------------------------------------------------------------
1. PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY (NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FULL TERMS)
------------------------------------------------------------
By choosing “Yes” on the form:
- You keep ownership of your work and voice.
- You give Extynct Studios a permanent license to use your contributions in Gearbound: Odyssey and its marketing.
- You are allowed to use your work (including VO) in your portfolio, reels, and demos once the content is publicly released.
- We will not use your voice, likeness, or name to train AI models.
- Playtests and internal materials are confidential – no streaming, recording, leaking, or sharing.
- This is volunteer work unless we both sign a separate written agreement for payment.
- You confirm you are 18+ and have the rights to everything you submit.
- If you select “Yes”, this agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, USA.
If you do not agree to these terms, select “No” and you will not participate.
------------------------------------------------------------
2. PARTIES
------------------------------------------------------------
This Contributor Consent and Non-Disclosure Agreement (“Agreement”) is between:
- “Extynct Studios” (“Studio”, “we”, “us”), and
- You, the individual submitting this form (“Contributor”, “you”).
By selecting “Yes” and submitting the form, you agree to be bound by this Agreement under the laws of the State of Maryland, USA.
------------------------------------------------------------
3. CONTRIBUTIONS COVERED
------------------------------------------------------------
“Contributions” means anything you provide for Gearbound: Odyssey or related materials, including but not limited to:
- Voice acting and performances
- Artwork, models, textures, animations, VFX, UI, and other visual assets
- Music, sound effects, dialogue, and other audio
- Code, tools, scripts, and technical work
- Writing, narrative, design ideas, and feedback
- Playtesting participation, surveys, and bug reports
------------------------------------------------------------
4. OWNERSHIP AND LICENSE
------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 You keep ownership
- Unless we sign a separate written agreement that says otherwise, you keep ownership of your original Contributions.
4.2 License you grant to Extynct Studios
You grant Extynct Studios a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, transferable, and sublicensable license to:
- Use, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, translate, arrange, and create derivative works from your Contributions.
- Display, perform, distribute, and otherwise exploit your Contributions in:
- Gearbound: Odyssey and any updates, patches, sequels, ports, or re-releases.
- Marketing and promotional materials, including but not limited to trailers, screenshots, devlogs, social media posts, websites, store pages, and press kits.
- Use your chosen credit name or alias and any short biographical details you provide in connection with the game and its promotion (for example, in credits and behind-the-scenes materials).
4.3 No obligation to remove integrated work
- Once your Contributions are integrated into game builds, trailers, or other released materials, the Studio is not obligated to remove, edit, or replace them if you later change your mind.
- You waive any right to demand takedown or removal of already-released works that lawfully use your Contributions, except where applicable law does not allow such a waiver.
------------------------------------------------------------
5. PORTFOLIO AND PERSONAL USE RIGHTS
------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the license in Section 4, you are specifically allowed to:
- Use your Contributions (including voice lines, artwork, screenshots of your own work, and code snippets) in personal portfolios, reels, demo compilations, and job applications.
- Post them on your own website or professional platforms such as ArtStation, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and similar services.
- Reference your involvement with Gearbound: Odyssey in your résumé and professional profiles.
Conditions for portfolio use:
- You should not share unreleased or confidential material (for example: unannounced characters, secret locations, major story spoilers, or internal tools) without written permission from the Studio.
- When reasonably possible, you agree to credit the project as “Gearbound: Odyssey – Extynct Studios”.
------------------------------------------------------------
6. AI AND MACHINE LEARNING
------------------------------------------------------------
The Studio will not:
- Use your voice, likeness, performance, or name as training data for any AI or machine learning model.
- Sell or license your voice, likeness, performance, or name to third parties for AI training.
This does not prevent the Studio from:
- Using general tools in its workflow (such as noise reduction, mastering, or generic AI-assisted utilities), as long as your identifiable voice/likeness is not used as training data.
------------------------------------------------------------
7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND PLAYTESTING
------------------------------------------------------------
7.1 Confidential Information
“Confidential Information” includes, but is not limited to:
- Unreleased game builds and gameplay
- Story details, characters, and level designs not yet public
- Internal documents, design notes, schedules, and tools
- Internal links, passwords, and build distribution methods
- Any other non-public information about the game or Studio shared with you
7.2 Your obligations
Unless the Studio gives you written permission, you agree that you will not:
- Stream, record, or publicly share gameplay from unreleased builds.
- Post screenshots, videos, code, or documents from unreleased or confidential content.
- Share internal links, build passwords, or download locations.
- Discuss confidential content in public forums, social media, or with people who are not already bound by a similar NDA with the Studio.
You may freely discuss and share:
- Content and information that the Studio has already released publicly (for example, official trailers, public screenshots, and information on the public Steam page or website).
7.3 Consequences of breach
If you break confidentiality, the Studio may:
- End your participation in the project immediately.
- Revoke your access to builds and internal materials.
- Pursue legal remedies where permitted by law.
------------------------------------------------------------
8. VOLUNTEER STATUS AND PAYMENT
------------------------------------------------------------
- Your participation under this Agreement is voluntary and unpaid, unless we both sign a separate written contract that clearly states payment terms.
- This Agreement does not create an employment relationship. You are not an employee, contractor, or agent of Extynct Studios solely by signing this Agreement.
- You are not entitled to wages, benefits, revenue share, or royalties for your volunteer Contributions, unless explicitly granted in another written agreement signed by the Studio.
- The Studio may, at its discretion, provide credit, game keys, or other tokens of appreciation, but these are not guaranteed.
------------------------------------------------------------
9. YOUR REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
------------------------------------------------------------
By selecting “Yes”, you confirm that:
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You have all necessary rights and permissions to provide your Contributions.
- Your Contributions will not knowingly infringe or violate any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, or privacy rights.
- Any third-party material you include is properly licensed and you have the right to grant the Studio the license described in Section 4.
- You will not intentionally submit illegal, hateful, or malicious content.
You agree to cooperate in good faith with the Studio if any rights issues arise regarding your Contributions.
------------------------------------------------------------
10. EMAIL AND PRIVACY
------------------------------------------------------------
- The email address and contact details you provide will be used only for project-related communication, such as:
- Casting decisions and role information.
- Scripts, directions, and schedules.
- Build access and important updates about Gearbound: Odyssey.
- The Studio will not sell or lease your contact information to third parties.
- Your contact information may be stored in standard project management, communication, or cloud services used by the Studio, solely for development and coordination purposes.
------------------------------------------------------------
11. TERM, TERMINATION, AND SURVIVAL
------------------------------------------------------------
- This Agreement becomes effective when you select “Yes” and submit the form.
- You or the Studio may end your active participation at any time, for any reason, by written notice (including email).
However:
- The license you granted to the Studio in Section 4 for Contributions already provided and used in the project will continue even after your participation ends.
- Your confidentiality obligations in Section 7 continue to apply to all Confidential Information that has not been made public by the Studio.
------------------------------------------------------------
12. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTES
------------------------------------------------------------
- This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, USA, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.
- Where legally permitted, any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Maryland.
- By selecting “Yes”, you agree to the jurisdiction of those courts.
------------------------------------------------------------
13. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
------------------------------------------------------------
- This Agreement is the entire understanding between you and the Studio regarding your volunteer Contributions to Gearbound: Odyssey, unless we sign an additional written contract.
- If any part of this Agreement is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
------------------------------------------------------------
14. ACCEPTANCE
------------------------------------------------------------
By selecting “Yes” and submitting this form, you confirm that:
- You have read and understood this Agreement.
- You agree to be legally bound by its terms under Maryland law.
- You are signing as an individual and have the legal capacity to do so.