by Jens Schommer 4/12/2025
Photo by Dex Ezekiel
It can be easy to forget just how valuable fan projects can be for artists. Not only do they encourage us to create for the fun of it, but they also offer a chance for experimentation without the stress of academic or paid work. It frees us to start doing art the way most of us began, by just playing.
There are times however, when IP owners have a more complicated relationship with their fans’ creations due to copyright and trademark issues. This has resulted in more than a few fan projects being put on indefinite hiatus, cease and desisted, or sometimes almost completely wiped from the web.
There are some companies and IP holders though who take a more shared and open approach to their communities’ creations.
If that sounds interesting to you, we’ve compiled a list of a few IPs that have opened the doors to their communities’ creations with a surprising amount of freedom. While there are still some limits, these policies have been a great way for the owners to give something back to their communities and see some of the amazing talents within them.
Disclaimer: First off this isn’t a sponsored post. Secondly please bear in mind that I’m not a lawyer and this blog post isn’t meant to be legal advice. Always approach creating and selling work based on an existing IP with caution. Each of these companies will have different rules and policies that you should still read through carefully.
If you’re unfamiliar with subjects like Copyright and Fair Use guidelines I would highly recommend familiarizing yourself with them to protect your work as well as to respect the work of others.
The Dark Pack by Paradox Interactive
First up, if you’re a fan of Urban Fantasy and tabletop RPGs, you should definitely check out Paradox Interactive’s Dark Pack agreement. This fan policy allows you to make use of Paradox’s catalogue of titles including “Vampire the Masquerade”, “Werewolf the Apocalypse”, and “Changeling the Dreaming” to name a few. With over 30 years of lore, characters, and world building, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding inspiration for your next project.
Some notable fan works that use this agreement have included the animated series “Hunter the Parenting” by YouTube creators Alfabusa and Speaker D, the “Princes of Darkness” mod for Crusader Kings 3 by Sparc, as well as numerous actual play series like Near Dark Studio’s “Chicago by Night”.
With the long awaited “Bloodlines 2” video game set to release this October, this is a great time to take advantage of interest in the series and see what the World of Darkness has to offer your creative journey.
Dark Pack Agreement – Paradox Interactive
Undertale by Toby Fox
Undertale holds a special place in many of its fans’ hearts, whether it be for its unique gameplay, iconic music, or beloved characters. It’s been ten years since the game released, and since then its fans have produced mountains of fanart, song covers, animations, cosplays, comics, and even full video games based on the title.
A few popular projects from the community have included games like “Undertale Yellow” by TeamUndertaleYellow, albums like Holder’s “Undertale Remixed”, and numerous fan animations like Coda’s 3D shorts on YouTube.
While Undertale’s creator Toby Fox has been hard at work on his next series Deltarune, he’s also managed to provide his community with generous guidelines for fans interested in using Undertale as the basis for their own fan projects. This includes useful information on which sites to license fan made music, details about where it is and isn’t okay to sell fan made merchandise, as well as guidelines for artists taking commissions on drawing characters from the game.
Undertale Fan Project Guidelines
Minecraft by Mojang
If you can imagine it, chances are someone has made it in Minecraft. In an effort to guide and encourage their fan’s creativity, Minecraft owner Mojang offers a fairly open policy for content creators and craft makers.
Some notable fan works have included shows like “An Egg’s Guide to Minecraft” by Element Animation, music videos like Dan Bull’s Minecraft rap videos, and comics like Marcus Yu’s “Legion Gods” series.
With the recent release of the Minecraft movie and the game’s seemingly infinite adaptability, now is a great time to join its community of content creators.
Genshin Impact by HoYoverse
Anime and manga enthusiasts looking for a new project could find their next idea within the world of Genshin Impact. Game developer, HoYoverse, offers a detailed, but easy to read policy for those fans interested in making anything from manga to entire short films.
Notable fan projects include fan games like “Lightning-Riding Swordsman” (created by Licialurie, kurolee97, To___e and other creators), No_Tables and Subutai’s “Fight at the Museum” short film, and comics like those made by Xinzoruo. HoYoverse even has an official space specifically meant to show off and celebrate their fans’ creations (HoYoFair – YouTube).
While some areas of the policy require corporate approval (Ex. selling large quantities of merchandise), the policy allows for a surprising amount of freedom for its fans to express themselves and even monetize their work.
The SCP Foundation
This series is a bit different than our previous entries due to the fact that the SCP series of works isn’t owned by any one person. Unlike the rest of our list, it falls under a different area of copyright known as Creative Commons.
For those interested in the science fiction, horror, or mystery genre, SCP (Special Containment Procedures) is an open and thriving community that’s always looking for more creators to join their ranks.
Some projects have included audio dramas like YouTuber TheVolgun’s “Too Spooky”, video games like Northwood Studios ”SCP: Secret Laboratory”, as well as comics like “Strange Waves Strange Days” produced by Claire Rennard.
The SCP website staff have also done a fantastic job of providing guides and resources for anyone interested in working with the material. Some helpful posts include:
(Honorable Mention) Public Domain Works
Photo by Bhautik Patel
Finally, this list would be incomplete without at least a quick mention of Public Domain titles. These include works and series that have been around long enough that their copyright has finally expired.
It can be surprising to learn just how many popular works are openly available for anyone to use. Some notable titles include Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, as well as The Oz series (the one with the wizard). New works are also being added every year, so it’s always good to check and see if you find anything interesting.
While not a complete list of everything in the public domain, this list should help get you started.
In Closing
It’s important to note that all these policies are assuming you’re not just copy/pasting work that already exists. Like the fan work we’ve mentioned, you’ll want to make something that’s transformative and uniquely your own while still expressing what you love about the reference material.
Finally, keep in mind what we said at the beginning. One of the best parts about fan work is the freedom it gives you. These kinds of projects are at their best when they’re made because we enjoy being a part of the community and because we want the work to exist for its own sake.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of these types of collaborative community relationships become more common in the near future.
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