Nintendo is famous for two things: wonderful, revolutionary games and being very stringent with their copyright policy. A few years back, Nintendo announced their Content Creator Program, which basically restricted monetization of videos that contained Nintendo properties, either on YouTube or live-streaming sites. This angered a lot of fans because, well, Nintendo was practically the only company to do so. If you were a YouTuber that depended on the ad revenue to maintain a living, then it wouldn’t be practical to create Nintendo content when so many other games allowed you to get the full cake instead of just a slice.
As someone who's trying to make a career on Youtube and has been nervous that any day Nintendo could start aggressively claiming my videos and essentially destroy that career, this comes as a huge relief. They're doing the right thing–not just for Youtubers, but for everyone. https://t.co/A2AiVMveUP
— Arlo Trying to Keep Cool (@ArloStuff) November 29, 2018
Today, Nintendo updated their guidelines and have joined many other companies in letting people use their content without having to share revenue. The new guidelines read:
“You may monetize your videos and channels using the monetization methods separately specified by Nintendo. Other forms of monetization of our intellectual property for commercial purposes are not permitted.”
This means that as long as you are monetizing your videos using the Twitch Affiliate/Partner Program, YouTube’s Partner Program and other such monetization programs, you’ll be golden to receive your fair share of ad revenue. Of course, the basic rules of content copyright still apply, so this is not Nintendo giving everyone free reign over their content.
There are many things that Nintendo will not tolerate, such as leaked footage that breaks embargo – we’re talking to you, Smash Ultimate leakers. Nintendo doing this is the right choice. Their decision to restrict content creators when they first launched their program was baffling to many. Content creators are the backbone of a community; when they thrive, so does everyone else. Hopefully, this move, along with the recent smashing success of the Switch, will only help but foster a community where all those that love Nintendo can mingle. For the full breakdown, make sure to visit Nintendo’s guidelines so that you know exactly where the lines are drawn. Most importantly, get back to creating.
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