Write a Hosted Game

Writing for Hosted Games

Anyone can publish a game under the Hosted Games label. Hosted Games are written without editorial support from Choice of Games, and you do not need to submit your ideas in advance.

At this time, we can only publish Hosted Games in English, but we do accept submissions from non-native English speakers written in English.

Hosted Games authors may be invited to pitch us to write for Choice of Games after publishing a Hosted Game.

Hosted Games Publishing Process

  1. You independently write and complete a game written in ChoiceScript.
  2. You complete a public beta test of your game on our forum. This must be a beta of the full, entire, complete game, not a demo of some portion.
  3. Submit your game on our Hosted Games submission form. You will also be asked to provide assets (icon, cover art, etc.) for publication.
  4. Your game will be reviewed for content, and when that review is complete, you will receive a contract for your game.
  5. Once received, reviewed, approved, and under contract, your game will go into a publishing queue; Hosted Games are published roughly on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Hosted Games Editorial Requirements

  • Games must be at least 30,000 words long; the word count includes code.
  • Games must not contain deeply offensive material, such as scenes that glorify sexual violence or racist attitudes.
  • Games must undergo beta testing on our forum at forum.choiceofgames.com
  • Games cannot infringe on other people’s intellectual property; we can’t host a Harry Potter or Star Wars game.
  • The title of the game cannot contain the word “choice.” We reserve the word “choice” in game titles for games distributed under the Choice of Games label.
  • The title of the game must be 30 characters or less. This is a hard requirement of the Google and Apple platforms.

Hosted Games Contract

  • Your work will receive a 25% royalty on the revenue we receive from distributing your game. (This includes money from advertising, in-app purchases, direct sales where applicable, etc.)
  • You will retain full IP rights on your game, granting us an exclusive, perpetual license to publish your multiple-choice game electronically.
  • You cannot publish the same story in a competing format (Twine, Ren’Py, Choices/Chapters/Episodes, CYOA book, Visual Novel, etc).
    • You can publish sequels, prequels, spin-offs, etc in a competing format.
    • You can publish the same story in a non-competing format (traditional book, side-scrolling computer game, animated computer game).

Hosted Games Publishing Details

Hosted games are published on:

  • Our website
  • iTunes App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod
  • Google Play Store
  • Amazon Kindle Fire (Amazon Appstore for Android)
  • Publication on Steam is subject to approval

Required Assets for Publication

  • Art (as .pngs unless otherwise noted)
    • 1024×1024 icon, which is intelligible at 72×72
    • 2732×3648 w/o title
    • 2732×2048 w/o title
    • 1242×2208 w/o title (.jpg)
    • 480×800 w/o title
    • 640×960 w/o title
    • 408×272 w/ title
    • 480×320 w/ title
    • 1024×500 w/ title
    • 1400×560 w/ title
  • Steam Capsules
    • 231×87 w/ title
    • 374×448 w/ title
    • 460×215 w/ title
    • 467×181 w/ title
    • 600×900 w/ title
    • 616×353 w/ title
    • 3840×1240 w/o title
    • 1280×720 logo (on a transparent background)
  • Textual
    • Descriptions
    • Screenshot scene
    • Credits
    • Brief author bio
    • Genre Tags
    • Similars (other games published by Hosted Games whose players might like your game)
    • Steam Tags (excluding default ones: CYOA, Text-Based, Single-Player)
  • Testing
    • You must post the game for a full public beta on the forum for at least one month prior to submission. It cannot just be a demo; it must be the full game.
    • The game MUST PASS Quicktest and Randomtest. Never submit filesets that do not pass both tests.

Other Issues/Frequently Asked Questions about Writing for Hosted Games

  • We accept work from authors under the age of 18 for Hosted Games. This requires a parent or guardian to be a signatory to your contract.
  • We accept work from authors outside the U.S.
  • At this time, if you live or work in a country without a tax treaty with the United States, we ask that you contact us at hosted-submissions@choiceofgames.com before submitting a Hosted Game. Prospective authors for Choice of Games who are residents of countries without tax treaties with the United States should also let us know that at the beginning of the process.  Canada, Mexico, most Western European countries, many Asian countries, and some African and Latin American countries have a tax treaty with the U.S. See full list here: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/international-businesses/united-states-income-tax-treaties-A-to-Z
  • We pay authors advances and royalties via secure electronic deposit, PayPal, or if necessary, by cheque. PayPal is accepted in the following countries: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide
  • Some authors have Patreons to help support their writing. Any ChoiceScript-based content that you give to your patrons must be released to the general public within a month of giving your patrons access.