Terms of Service

Last updated: September 11, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of whelpgames.com (the "Site") and the games developed and distributed by Whelp Games ("Whelp Games," "we," "us," or "our"), including Maku. By using the Site or playing our games, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Site or our games.

Who We Are

Whelp Games is an independent, one-person game development project. You can reach us at [email protected].

Use of the Site

You may browse the Site and access information about our games for personal, non-commercial use. You agree not to:

• Use the Site in any way that violates applicable law;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, its code, or any related systems;
• Copy, scrape, or redistribute the Site's content without our permission;
• Interfere with the Site's normal operation (e.g. through malicious code or excessive automated requests).

Our Games

Games we develop, such as Maku, are made available for you to play subject to these Terms. Where a game is distributed through a third-party platform (for example, Steam), your purchase, download, and use of that game is also governed by that platform's own terms — for Steam, the Steam Subscriber Agreement. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and a platform's terms for matters like purchases, refunds, or account access, the platform's terms control for that matter.

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use our games for your own personal, non-commercial entertainment. This license does not give you ownership of the game or any rights beyond what's needed to play it.

You agree not to:

• Copy, modify, decompile, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from our games, except to the extent applicable law expressly permits;
• Redistribute, sell, rent, lease, or sublicense any of our games or their assets;
• Use cheats, exploits, automation software (bots), or hacks to interfere with a game's intended functioning, including features like achievements, stats, or Steam Cloud saves;
• Use our games or their assets to train machine learning or AI models.

Intellectual Property

The Site, our games, and all related content — including but not limited to code, artwork, music, writing, logos, and the "Whelp Games" and "Maku" names — are owned by Whelp Games or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership of that content to you.

Third-Party Services

Our games and the Site may rely on or link to third-party platforms and services, such as Steam. We aren't responsible for the availability, content, or practices of those third parties, and your use of them is subject to their own terms and policies.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site and our games are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We don't guarantee that the Site or our games will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of bugs — as an independent, small-scale project, occasional issues should be expected, and we appreciate reports sent to the contact below.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Whelp Games will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, arising out of or related to your use of the Site or our games, even if we've been advised of the possibility of such damages. Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or your use of the Site or our games will not exceed the amount you paid us directly, if any, in the 12 months before the claim arose.

Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site at any time, for any reason, including violation of these Terms. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (such as Intellectual Property, Disclaimer of Warranties, and Limitation of Liability) will continue to apply.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time as Whelp Games and our games evolve. Changes take effect when posted here, and the "Last updated" date above will reflect the most recent revision. Continuing to use the Site or our games after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email us at [email protected].