An intriguing comment from a studio founder (who also happens to be a lawyer) stuck with me this week.

He’d just signed a deal with a publisher and said,

"We're announcing soon -which means they'll actually be committed."

I laughed. Why? Most people assume a deal is done when the contract is signed.

But we both know the reality.  A contract without consequence is just a formality.

After more than a decade of deals in games, I’ve learned this the hard way: legal agreements matter less than leverage. Unless there’s a reason to follow through—reputational, financial, or otherwise—a signature doesn’t mean much.

In this case, the public announcement is the enforcement mechanism. Once the publisher stakes their name on the partnership, it creates accountability. Now there’s something to lose.

Contracts are only real when there’s something behind them.