In an announcement posted on Twitter yesterday, Nintendo announced an end to their Creators Program. Originally launched in order to moderate what was done with Nintendo’s content on YouTube, the controversial program is being replaced by a set of guidelines that should make it easier for content creators to make their videos.
Last night, Nintendo released the tweet announcing that the end of the Creators Program would come in December:
Launched back in 2015, the Nintendo Creators Program allowed registered users to get 60% of the ad revenue for videos they make that contain content from Nintendo games. It worked in tandem with a second agreement with YouTube which automatically flags videos with a certain amount of Nintendo content. Creators could keep those videos up by adding Nintendo advertisements to the videos, and the revenue from those ads would be split evenly between Nintendo and YouTube.
The program wound up being controversial among content creators and major community figures due to monetization rules that were seen as overly restrictive and harsh. It got particularly frustrating for them in 2017 with the releases of big Nintendo games like Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild. Nintendo also had restrictions on livestreaming that applied even for those who were part of the Creators Program and playing an approved game.
The new guidelines offer some more freedom for livestreamers and those who do Let’s Plays and other videos. Of note is this section:
We encourage you to create videos that include your creative input and commentary. Videos and images that contain mere copies of Nintendo Game Content without creative input or commentary are not permitted.
Gameplay videos and screenshots taken using Nintendo system features, like the Capture Button on the Nintendo Switch, can be used without extra input or commentary.
There’s no word on if the changes are in part facilitated by the upcoming release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but it’s possible. Speaking of Ultimate, the guidelines only allow officially released content and promotional materials released by Nintendo. Those who downloaded the Ultimate leak are out of luck.