Making Rom Hacks then making repros to sell online

What's to stop anyone from hacking a dead ip jrpg like LUFIA 2, and then selling a reproduction cart online? No one would come after you because no one owns the ip anymore, collectors are running around spending big money would probably buy a $30 massive rom hack overhaul like the flames of eternity rom hack for chrono trigger.

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Big question - who is supposed to buy it from you? People that just want to play the game can buy flashcart instead or emulate and collectors obviously will faster burn your business down than purchase reproductions.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I want to have a gimmick where you sell it with an elaborate guide with info that you could flip do. For eg you would go to a weapons shop and all the items have page numbers you could flip to for elaborate stats. I draw and want to have a highly detailed illustrated guide. plus extra goodies that Im still thinking about.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        So you are going to get pcbs made, get carts made, get labels made, get sick art comissioned, layout and print your elaborate guide, and somehow turn profits on pirated roms, where a single DMCA C&D can end you for life.
        Cool story, want to know how I know you are underage?

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          I wouldnt commission the art I would do it myself. And who would sue over Lufia? I suppose it could happen, but I doubt it. I think the japanese will have bigger problems in the immediate future.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            I don't know? Maybe current copyright holders?
            Your imaginary business just outs you as either child or a moron. You're really naive enough that you think that if Neverland is dead, there's nobody owning Lufia?
            Big portion of Neverland's workers got grabbed by Marvelous and they were releasing some of Neverlands titles, go ask them if they are happy with your dogshit idea.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              Also, are you professional artist to actually create quality art for something like that? Any portfolio?
              If you would be artist of this skill you would be busy doing commissions instead of daydreaming about moronic ideas so I assume that it's another stupid, uncovered element that you think that you can bullshit.
              Keep living in your fantasy world, just don't get surprised if you'll end diving face-first in mud.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                Im pretty good actually. I do lewd art for money right now, but Ive been taking Jonathan hardesty's course on realism and starting to learn about what I didnt know before. I used to be really fat and got really cut from setting goals, so Im I know that if I set my mind to something I can do it. Im kinda young too so I haven't had my soul drained out of me like it seems you have, no pussy does that to some people I suppose. This whole thing would be more of a fun hobby than my major plan to get rich, my get rich plan is team up with some people and do a summertime saga type game. But doing coom work all day might turn my brain to mush. I really have a hard time believing whoever is left from Neverland would come after me, but im not married to Lufia either. There are a ton of weird Japanese games that never got released over here that could probably be tinkered with.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                wow, so angry and malcontent..

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    How would you even acquire such IP, I unironically want Eltale Monsters/Quest 64 IP because I'm dead certain I can not only make an excellent game out of it, but I can also make an excellent series out of it.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      If you want to do something like that for fun go nuts, it would probably be a better idea to take a game like it, that isnt as good and tinker with it. FEDA for the snes looks really cool, have you looked into that one?

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    there is a retro games store near me that goes on ebay and gets their prices and marks their games to match the prices that people are asking for on ebay. I have been thinking very seriously of flooding their store with fake games with ROM reproductions and printing labels and making them look like real carts. Selling them to the store as real carts and making them sit on their greed until they cant turn a profit anymore.

    Super Metroid for $300
    Castlevania 3 for $80
    Final Fantasy 1 for $100
    Metroid for $80
    Super Mario 64 $90

    NONE IN BOX, ALL of these are sold priced above loose out of box.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I'm talking more about just remaking the game rather than editing the existing ROM, it's more just an issue of actually having the rights to sell it, if I had the money I'd probably revive lots of dead IP.
      I'm more set on Eltale Monsteres because Imagineer no longer reference it's existence and it hasn't had anything release in over 20 years, there was also that Spanish guy who managed to get the Medabots IP in europe, which was hilarious since he probably had more plans for the franchies than Imagineer.

      Sounds great, the whole retro reseller market is pure cringe.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        I think if you did sneaky ebay or etsy rom repro where the cover and title were different you could get away with it. Maybe say your hack is a spiritual successor. Please keep us posted if you do start your hack

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Don't just assume that if an IP doesn't have any recent games, then nobody owns the IP.
    Square Enix owns the Lufia IP now, since they completely bought Taito. That's a legal department you probably wouldn't want to deal with.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      That's what I thought, but I was searching around and some people seem to think they dont have the rights to it. Again, im not obsessed with Lufia, more a dead ip where the copyright holders probably wont get at me. Even if they did send a dcma I would still have content for the gram, and working with hackers would hopefully make me some contacts for a homebrew or something else. I heard the undertale guy got started by hacking earthbound.

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    You won't be able to sell it anywhere except Etsy. Everyone will take it down. Say it is "homemade".
    I bought a sega genesis cart of Musha from there, instead of paying $300 for a "real" copy, that is probably also a fake.

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Collectors wouldn't give a shit about some hacked together unlicensed reproduction. The whole point of being a collector is to get your hands on the original stuff.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      you'd have to think some would want reasonably priced carts with new content that they could actually play. I came up with this whole idea after thinking about how I wish someone would combine the ff6 hacks of dark sorcerer and the japanese t-edition hack.

      You won't be able to sell it anywhere except Etsy. Everyone will take it down. Say it is "homemade".
      I bought a sega genesis cart of Musha from there, instead of paying $300 for a "real" copy, that is probably also a fake.

      I see repro rom hack carts all the time though.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >I see repro rom hack carts all the time though.
        Yeah, that's a single copy being sold by a bootlegger. You can usually get away with that once or twice, or maybe sell directly to people openly like that, but the moment anyone catches wind of you, have fun with the lawsuit if you're lucky, have fun making friends with Tyrone if you're not.

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Even if it was an IP that nobody owned (Lufia is currently owned), you still have not been licensed to use Nintendo's hardware, or an imitation of it.
    Nintendo would probably C&D you, if not outright sue you for a portion/all of your profits made off of your illegal usage of their cartridge system.

    You MIGHT be able to get away with a unique cartridge format, playable only on your own proprietary console. But at that point... just make an indie game, bro.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      You're probably right. I have a weird fascination with rom hacking though. I want to do a comic book called overworld 199x based on chrono trigger where a monster from 1000 ad gets zapped into the present timeline where lavos was defeated. It will be part dating Sim part rpg inspired by rance quest.

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