It’s only in beta right now, but the Nintendo Creators Program hopes to give Let’s Play-ers a way to gain ad revenue from videos of Nintendo games. However, by opting into the program, Let’s Play-ers agree to share the profits with Nintendo, not just keep everything for themselves. Currently, any Nintendo gameplay video that is posted to YouTube generates ad revenue directly for Nintendo, and the content creator gets nothing from YouTube. This program would then take some of that ad revenue and give it back to the creator.
Anyone who is interested can sign up for the Nintendo Creators Program on the beta site, where they will also see some basic rules and stipulations. Among them is an agreement to split ad revenue 70/30 (the 70% goes to the YouTuber) if the Let’s Play-er designates their entire channel as part of the program, or 60/40 if they want to pick individual videos.
It’s important to point out, though, that the 70/30 split means that Nintendo collects revenue from your entire channel, even on non-Nintendo games. No matter how you shake it, Nintendo will be making some money off these videos, it just depends how big their cut is..
Obviously, it’s not an optimal solution for some Let’s Play-ers but it’s better than getting hit with a copyright notice by Nintendo. It at least shows that the company is finally starting to see the value of Let’s Play videos, and is willing to support streamers in some capacity.
However, there are plenty of publishers out there who consider the free marketing suitable compensation and do not expect an additional cut off the top. Many publishers even send out review copies to high profile Let’s Play-ers in the hopes that the YouTuber might play their game and give it more attention. Someone like PewDiePie, for example, can ensure several million views regardless of the game, which in itself is a valuable marketing tool.
So, while Nintendo’s Creators Program may have some iffy stipulations, it does give gamers a way to profit off their Nintendo Let’s Play videos. This is also just a beta test, so if the reaction is strong enough there is still the possibility that Nintendo might change their approach when the program exits beta.
What do you think of the Nintendo Creators Program? Does it sound like something you would be interested in?
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Source: Nintendo
