The Nintendo Creators Program was a pain in the butt. Content creators had to register with Nintendo to receive revenue streams from content they uploaded on YouTube, Twitch and other streaming services where revenue could be made.

Over on the Nintendo website, there’s a short blurb about the Nintendo Creators Program, where it states that the program is coming to an end at the end of December, 2018. It states…

“We are ending the Nintendo Creators Program (NCP) to make it easier for content creators to make and monetize videos that contain Nintendo game content. We will no longer ask creators to submit their videos to the NCP, and creators can continue showing their passion for Nintendo by following Nintendo’s guidelines”

There’s a link to Nintendo’s new guidelines, which were updated on November 29th, 2018.

In the guidelines, it notes that content creators are free to monetize video content featuring Nintendo products so long as they have commentary or other user generated content overlaying the gameplay so that it’s not just a silent playthrough of the game itself.

The rules state that you can only monetize officially released games, which means you won’t be able to monetize pirated software, and it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to monetize games running through emulators as well…

“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.

 

“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. You may, however, post gameplay videos and screenshots using Nintendo system features, such as the Capture Button on Nintendo Switch, without additional input or commentary.

 

“You are only permitted to use Nintendo Game Content that has been officially released, or from promotional materials officially released by Nintendo (such as product trailers or Nintendo Directs).

If you want to use the intellectual property of a third party, you are responsible for obtaining any necessary third-party permissions.

 

“You are not permitted to imply or state that your videos are officially affiliated with or sponsored by Nintendo.

 

“We reserve the right to remove any content that we believe is unlawful, infringing, inappropriate, or not in line with these Guidelines.”

The original Creators Program policies were initially put into place back in January of 2015, which did not sit well with various YouTubers, many of whom just stopped producing content featuring Nintendo games. This is because in order to monetize content featuring Nintendo games you had to register with Nintendo and they always got a percentage of your revenue. This caused creators like Angry Joe to rant at Nintendo.

Now that Nintendo is reneging on the policy and easing up on the monetization of their content, I wonder if this means we’ll see more big name YouTubers playing Nintendo games?

With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate set to release, this comes across as a very calculated move to drum up interest from YouTube and Twitch influencers.

That’s not to mention that Nintendo is also trying to make waves as being more pro-consumer than Sony, who has begun censoring games just to spite straight male gamers.

If you run a YouTube channel or Twitch channel, you can look to start cashing in on Nintendo games soon. The Creators Program will officially end at the end of December, 2018, and the website for the Creators Program will shut down on March 20th, 2019.

(Thanks for the news tip zac za)