Microsoft Studios has updated its monetization policies for Let’s Play videos on YouTube and streamers on Twitch.
According to the new policy, users are allowed to create derivative works based on the Redmond’s games strictly for personal, noncommercial use, provided that they abide by a set of rules.
“We’re encouraging you to create and redistribute your items,” the new rules state.
“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.”
The new rules grant content creators “a personal, non-exclusive, non-sublicenseable, non-transferable, revocable, limited license,” to use video, screenshots, and even music.
However, some of these rules prohibit users from reverse engineering games to “access the assets or otherwise do things that the games don’t normally permit,” or creating content that is “pornographic, lewd, obscene, vulgar, discriminatory (on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.), illegal, hate speech, promoting violence, drug use or any illegal activity, promoting crimes against humanity, genocide or torture, or is otherwise objectionable.”
While gamers can make their content available via Youtube or Twitch and earn revenue from ads through the sites’ respective programs, they cannot charge money in exchange for their item, post it on a site that requires subscription or other fees to view the Item, or post it on a page they use to sell other items or services.
Furthermore, anything created with Microsoft Studios content automatically grants the company a “royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license.” This means that Microsoft can use a user’s creations based on their products and name for promotional purpose without their permission or compensation.
The new rules apply to any and all games made/published by Microsoft Studios except Minecraft, which retains its own guidelines.
