Dev's and Let's Plays

[Mister Jack]

I'm not really sure if this is the best thread to discuss this but has anyone else heard about how Nintendo has started to claim the ad revenue on youtube videos like Let's Plays?

 

If there's a more appropriate thread for this then feel free to move it.

[deanb]

Yeah, funnily enough another thing Nintendo seem to be copying Sega on lately. From my understanding Youtube Policy allows what Nintendo is doing. Copyright law and fair use however doesn't. So it'll be funky how this works out, but Nintendo can't really be coping with the bad PR over the few dollars they might get from gathering LPers ad revenue.

 

There's quite a few devs and publishers that specifically have in writing allowing you to use footage of games in your LPs and to monetise it. Such as Paradox:

 

And Valve. http://www.valvesoftware.com/videopolicy.html. Mojang have same policy too, but I can't find it in any official writing, mainly just tweets Notch has fired off.

 

 

(And yeah, topic is not quite related to DRM and Online passes... )

[Waldorf and Statler]

I don't know how it'll work for certain channels such as Game Grumps who are already making money off their Let's Plays.

[deanb]

Assuming it's one that has Nintendo games in, the cash will go to Nintendo. (Until of course the LPers drop Nintendo games.)

[Mister Jack]

Even if Nintendo has the legal right to do this, it's kind of a dick move.  On top of that, it's a stupid one.  The Wii U needs all the exposure it can get right now and this doesn't give those gaming youtube channels much incentive to record, review, or discuss Nintendo games.

[Waldorf and Statler]

I just see it as a very sensitive time with the gaming community in general, and right now this move will be very harmful towards Nintendo's side. EA just got some public approval with their removal of Online Passes. I don't see Nintendo ever garnering the hate that Activision or EA have ever gotten, but do another similar move and you'll be inching closer and closer.

[Mister Jack]

I just don't see why it's necessary in the first place.  They can't possibly need the revenue that badly.

[Waldorf and Statler]

Eeeeeeeh.. I have no way to tell. Sure the 3DS is damn successful but the Wii U?

[FredEffinChopin]

Not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but this drives me up the wall. It annoyed me to no end when Rock Band did it, but I understood that there were likely issues involved that were far out of their hands. This is just another case of a huge business that just doesn't get it.

[Mister Jack]

You know, the PS4 is heading in pretty much the exact opposite direction by building this stuff directly into their next console.  You'd think Nintendo would at LEAST take the wait and see approach.  I literally cannot think of a single good reason for them to be doing this.

[Alex Heat]

Yeah, funnily enough another thing Nintendo seem to be copying Sega on lately.

 

In the case of Sega, it's self-sabotage and one director being as pigheaded as possible.

 

I did a little digging around and it really boiled down to fans of the old Shining Force games being displeased with the direction the series has gone since SF3 (which is, in all fairness, a very valid thing).  So they started a campaign to petition Sega to re-release Shining Force 3 (which is also fair, because only Japan got the full damn game).

 

In response, Tsuyoshi Sawada (who I am guessing became the director starting at Shining Tears), pulled an Adam Orth/Bob Summerwill by being a dumbass who got too close to a microphone and started calling old Shining fans enemies of the franchise who are trying to sabotage its success and what have you.

 

Only difference is that he got to keep his job.