Guys, I noticed that few top selling themes are abandoned, like Wilcity (WP) by Wiloke, ShopMe (OC) by Monkeysan. These kinds of actions from developers are creating issues for the client. Is there any solution for this? Something like Envato can transfer these projects to other developers who are interested to take over and continue theme updates and sales? What are your thoughts on this? Expecting a reply from Envato too.
Note: I am not a developer on Envato. I am a client here who faced such issues.
By ‘client’ I assume you mean the direct buyer?
Unfortunately this cannot (and probably should not) happen for several reasons. The main one being that envato do not own the items so they cannot stop authors removing them, or reallocate them in the future.
The license is between the author and the buyer. This is one reason why transferring item ownership (authors and buyers) is not allowed and would be a big concern with new devs picking up abandoned themes.
The risks around product lifespan are listed in the T&Cs when we buy anything. Buyers (speaking as a former power buyer) are getting something worth tens of thousands of $ for under $100. We cannot not accept that this will come with inherit risks.
If you are talking about ‘clients’ as in the people who a developer purchased a theme for to use in their project - then in this case that is entirely on the ‘developer’ using a stock theme and their responsibility to have managed expectations for their clients (in the exact same way that envato do in their terms to people buying the items directly).
3 Likes
It’s certainly frustrating when top-selling themes are abandoned, especially when clients rely on them for ongoing updates and support. Ideally, Envato should have a process to address these issues, such as facilitating the transfer of projects to other developers who might be willing to take over and continue maintaining the themes.
A possible solution could be for Envato to step in and offer a mechanism where themes, especially popular ones, can be handed over to other developers who would continue providing updates and support. However, this would require careful negotiation and collaboration between Envato, the original developers, and the new developers.
As a customer, it might also be helpful to explore alternative themes or find developers who are actively maintaining similar themes for ongoing support. Hopefully, Envato will consider these concerns and come up with a solution that helps clients in such situations.