Nintendo To Nab Ad Revenue From YouTube Users' Gaming Videos
YouTube allows certain users to earn revenue from advertisements displayed on their videos, while others upload videos simply for the joy of it. What neither of those two types of users are happy about is the revelation that Nintendo will acquire all revenue proceeds earned by those users' videos featuring games by the company. Nintendo's response is a tad passive aggressive, suggesting that users have to deal with it or else their ability to upload the videos will be blocked entirely.
You've likely seen the type of YouTube videos being referenced – they're uploaded by gamers who brag about their skills, showcasing headshots or coin counts or any other such achievements worth their weight in digital praise. Others are of the more utilitarian variety, featuring step-by-step visual walkthroughs of hard-to-beat missions, as well as walkthroughs of complete levels from the game's beginning to end.
The sticking point in the issue is that each video is displaying the video game maker's intellectual property, and for that reason the company can have the content pulled. Rather than take that route, Nintendo has decided to fill its coffers, so to speak, with their customer's content by reaping the advertisement revenue. Said the company, "We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube. That is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property."
This will be achieved by targeting videos that meet certain requirements, such as displaying Nintendo game footage, as well as the duration that footage is visible on the video. Such videos will have advertisements placed either at the beginning of the content, somewhere in the middle, or at the end, depending on the video. Those proceeds will go to Nintendo, and the content creator's ability to garner ad revenue is eliminated.
As you might imagine, the backlash over this has been large, with many stating they will no longer upload content of Nintendo games – some going so far as to say they'll stop playing them entirely – until the issue is sorted and Nintendo stops leeching off their content. One such gamer that will be affected is Zack Scott, who said on his Facebook that unlike movies and TV shows, every game play is unique, and for this reason Nintendo is in the wrong. Viewers aren't watching to see Nintendo's content, but rather the means by which to beat a mission and to hear commentary on the game.
SOURCE: BBC News