Game Company

Hello! I hope everyone is having a nice day, me and my partner are making games, but we want a company to publish it under. Not a huge company but like a small game studio that is just us. We also don't want offices or to rent out a building etc, just a name for ourselves. Ideally, this would be our company name, we would have a website and social media etc, and all games we release will be published under this name. Does anyone know what the best course of action to take is? Any help would be appreciated.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
The question is whether you want the company to be recognised as a LEGAL entity, or whether it's simply a name you publish under. For example, I have the "company" called "Nocturne Games" and it's what I use to publish all my games. However, LEGALLY the company doesn't exist, as it files no tax returns and isn't registered with any of the governing bodies that control such things in my country. This means that while I use Nocturne Games as a publishing identity, all paperwork is actually filed using my REAL name and my tax identity number. If you are simply wanting an "umberella" name under which to create stuff (like webpages, games, etc...) then you don't have to DO anything, simply create the name and start using it. If you want a "real" company then I suggest that you get in touch with an accountant or your bank or someone that knows the legal situation for creating a small business in your country. It's unlikely anyone here could really help with that as it requires knowledge of a lot of personal things, like where you live, how much you earn, etc...
 
If you live in Greece, I can help with the TAX part as well as the webpage etc.
If you are outside Greece i can only help with the webpage etc., but not the tax part.
Nocturne gave you a partial correct answer at least for Greek tax situation.
Yes, you may publish under your personal name, but you still must register to the tax office.
You still must pay tax for your sales even if under personal name in a situation as nocturne describe it.
And you will have a problem when you try to split the money with your friend, as one of you will have to pay the tax for the income while the other one will take "illegal" money.
 

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
There are several types of company, which usually - but not always - corresponds to company size. "Inc."/"Corp." (Incorporated) is a company with registered stock, "Ltd." / "LLC" (Limited Liability Company) is a company that just kinda exists, with the main feature being that you are obliged to sue the company instead of the person behind it if they do something bad (this is important in the US legal system because people sue each other as the main way of communicating with each other). Typically LLCs are easier to set up, but this varies by country, but since you see a lot more Inc's (A/S in denmark, AB in sweden) many more people are aware of their existence.
 

NightFrost

Member
For best advice you should talk with someone in your own country, as laws and necessary proceedings will vary from country to country. Over here, I would be able to easily find organizations that specialize in helping people set up small businesses and give advice on various questions on them; I assume you should be able to find similar ones in your country.
 
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