YouTube Live playthroughs are now a no-no for Nintendo Creators
Nintendo has updated its Creators Program’s rules to add a new entry: members can no longer broadcast on YouTube Live. The gaming titan has long been extra protective of its properties and regularly issues takedown notices for videos that use its games. It launched the initiative in 2015 as a sort of a compromise with YouTubers who feature its IPs. The program gives streamers a way to get part of their Nintendo videos’ ad revenue, but it looks like the company doesn’t want people earning money for livestreaming their playthroughs.
A lot of fans are obviously unhappy about the change, especially since streamers have to be part of YouTube’s Partner Program to be eligible for Nintendo’s. That means they first have to rack up at least 10,000 public views and get approved for YouTube’s partnership before they can even apply for the developer’s. To be clear, program members can still post “Let’s Play” type videos with commentaries. However, if they want to broadcast live, they can only choose between two options.
They can either livestream on a channel not affiliated with the program or pull their channel out of the initiative entirely. If they opt for the latter, they can then register any of their work that contains a Nintendo IP on a per video basis. Unfortunately, they’ll only get 60 percent of the ad revenue if they opt to register each video separately, whereas member channels get 70 percent.
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