It’s no surprise that game companies want to make more from the game streaming phenomenon, considering how massively popular streaming services like Twitch have become, with upwards of 55 million monthly viewers. There hasn’t been a clear legal basis for streaming someone else’s game or posting videos from it and deriving revenue from that, which is something that various game publishers are taking steps to clarify. Some have already taken a stance to partner with their young broadcasters, while others have set guidelines that could be beneficial to them down the road. Well, you can add Microsoft to that list.
The makers of the Xbox One game console have posted a series of new guidelines for users who post content from its games to YouTube and Twitch, as well as other venues. With these rules, the company has governed the use of its content for external purposes, but has also loosened some of the restrictions as a result, according to GamesIndustry International.
The rules, which can be found in full here, basically cover what users can and can’t use for footage as far as commercial moneymaking is concerned. The real big restriction is that content can’t be used in any form when it comes to paid applications, or those that would generate some form of ad money.
“Microsoft grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-sublicenseable, non-transferable, revocable, limited license for you to use and display Game Content and to create derivative works based upon Game Content, strictly for your personal, noncommercial (except as specifically provided below) use,” said the company’s statement.
There are also specifics when it comes to use agreement, as the rules state. “(Name of the Microsoft Game) @ Microsoft Corporation. (The title of your item) was created under Microsoft’s ‘Game Content Usage Rules’ using assets from (Name of the Microsoft Game) and it is not endorsed by or affiliated with Microsoft” must be posted with the content.
“We’re encouraging you to create and redistribute your items,” the company explained further. “You may post the items on your own site or you may link to a third-party site containing your items if you’d prefer to store them there, so long as the third-party site does not break any of these Rules.”
This is different from what Nintendo did last year with a similar stance, first cracking down on YouTube users making commercial gains off its content before eventually making a partnership deal where the revenue is split between Nintendo, the broadcaster and the video creators.
More details on Microsoft’s rules can be found here.
