Google Stadia has had some trouble gaining traction among gamers. With competition like Microsoft’s Games Pass and Amazon’s new Luna streaming service, you would think the Stadia team would do their best to find ways to build relationships with prominent gaming figures, it turns out the opposite is the reality.
Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director for Stadia, has quite the polarizing opinion on live streaming games. The Stadia representative argues that streamers should buy a license to stream games. Hutchinson’s claim comes after many popular live streamers stressed that Twitch has warned of DMCA takedowns on video on demand archives. The issue is that past archived streams have music in them that are copyright claimed. Hutchinson believes that similarly, video game publishers should copyright claim streams unless a license is paid.
This take by Hutchinson has caused quite the commotion over on Twitter. The reactions have grown so much that what appears to be the entire games industry has entered what appears to be a battle royal of 1 v 100.
speaking of things people don't want to pay for, how's Stadia going https://t.co/KpL7iEkn04
— The Daniel Jonestown Massacre (@alex_navarro) October 22, 2020
Alex Navarro of the gaming site Giant Bomb confronted Hutchinson with his own retort.
Stadia social media manager: We're trending on Twitter!
Boss: Can I see the tweets?
Stadia social media manager: …no
— PCMag (@PCMag) October 22, 2020
PCMag is one of the bigger news publications when it comes to gaming.
While plenty of industry insiders are commenting on Hutchinson’s views, popular live streamers also shared their own say on the matter.
Creative Director for Google Stadia. https://t.co/2ptIOiKNZT
— #Doctober (@drdisrespect) October 22, 2020
Not much said from Dr Disrespect but enough to speak volumes.
Just Chatting is one of the biggest categories on the platform.
— summit1g (@summit1g) October 22, 2020
Twitch streamer Summit1G shared an interesting tidbit. While Hutchinson believes that people watching streamers are there for the games, in reality, they come for the personality playing the games. Ignoring the publicity that both the game and the streamer receive is perhaps the aspect Hutchinson is not seeing.
Recently just about half a million people tuned in to watch US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez play alongside other streamers like Pokimane and Hasan. The broadcast signaled a change in the way politicians share social issues with younger demographics. Among Us is perhaps one of the simpler games ever made yet thanks to streamers like XQC, Among Us is now played more than even blockbuster games like Call of Duty. There is a symbiotic relationship between a game and a streamer and both parties benefit from the publicity.
The best moments from @AOC's Among Us stream on @Twitch last night. pic.twitter.com/13dGGgeWTF
— The Recount (@therecount) October 21, 2020
A lot of people quote tweeting this hot take about how streamers should need a license from publishers to stream their games.
I think we should be more concerned that anyone that works at Google Stadia is giving business advice.
— Gothalion (@Gothalion) October 22, 2020
Some people may be looking at the streaming world in confusion but financially speaking streamers like Gothalion have made thousands of dollars through daily live streams and contracts with companies like Facebook.
While today’s reactions seemed heavily one-sided the streaming community may soon have to face these issues even more than they do now. Companies like Nintendo have previously gone on record targeting streamers and have even taken a cut on their earnings. With Twitch and Youtube both aggressively targeting copyrighted streamers, content creators will need to be extra careful not to get on the bad side of these streaming platforms.
All that being said, not all companies have their sights against streamers. Microsoft allowed Minecraft content creators to continue making Youtube videos when the community feared they would go down the Nintendo path. Not only that, the recently acquired Microsoft studio ID Software acknowledged a popular Vtuber and honored her via an in-game easter egg.
Thank you find!🐶DOOG https://t.co/j1vAyKu9Rb
— 戌神ころね🥐🌿💛 (@inugamikorone) October 22, 2020
Live streaming may be a controversial subject among some people but it’s no secret its an industry that will grow into a formidable part of the entertainment industry as a whole.
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Kinda weird take for the Creative Director of Google Stadia to say. Minecraft, GTA V, Roblox, Among Us, to name a few: all those games got super big because they embraced creators/streamers, not the opposite.
Maybe this explains a lot about current state of Stadia.
— hagazo🔥👌 (@hagazo) October 22, 2020
hey man, maybe you should worry more about putting together a product that people actually want to use instead of fantasizing about a future where stadia can sell licensing to streamers if publishers start enforcing what you're dreaming of here. https://t.co/v6jKhswSzU
— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) October 22, 2020
terrible take. The amount of exposure streamers and YouTubers give to games just by playing them is worth major $$$ by itself. Some games ONLY market through influencers now because it's so strong and works.
— ᴅᴀɴᴛᴅᴍ💎 (@dantdm) October 22, 2020
