Capcom puts its foot down and makes several drastic changes.
Update: After doing some more research, it appears this policy has been adopted across all regions. Capcom of Asia, and Capcom of Japan.
This morning, Jan 6th, 2021, both Capcom of America and Europe have revised their video policies. Capcom of America’s policy can be found here, while Capcom of Europe’s policy is located here. Both have been updated to stop several things from happening from what I can see, from stopping anyone uploading direct footage of Capcom’s trailers to stopping anyone from spoiling its games. Below, I have included the guidelines and provided a summary as to what they mean.
That said, I didn’t find any previous versions of these video policies, nor can I find anyone using Wayback Machine. These are what Capcom will use going forward, and content creators are going to need to pay attention to avoid getting DMCA’d or Strikes on various platforms, including YouTube and Twitch.
Let’s take a look at what’s changed.
Creative Content: You may make walkthroughs, tutorials, Let’s Play, speedruns, reviews, reactions, instructionals, and other “commentary” style videos using our game footage to be shared on YouTube, Twitch.tv, your website, or other video/streaming sites. The associated step-by-step commentary should be tied to the live game play being shown, and should provide instructional or educational value, or other benefits.
Basically, Capcom is permitting anyone to create content with their properties. This is has been the norm for a while, so there’s nothing here that has changed.
Game footage posted online: You should not share game footage online without adding your own video or content unless the game console or device permits sharing of game footage. You may not split our game content into components (visual, vocal, in-game elements, etc.) and distribute such components as separate content.
This change is huge, as it means Capcom of Europe is no longer allowing anyone to upload or share gameplay footage that wasn’t captured by whoever is uploading it. That means any Capcom trailers are no longer going to be allowed on YouTube, Twitch, or Facebook. They’re also stating that those trailers or gameplay released directly by Capcom can’t be broken down by and used in videos such as in reactions or impression pieces. This makes sense now, as I had recorded an “Anticipated Games of 2021” the other day and had used a trailer for Resident Evil Village – Which got flagged by Capcom. Previous trailer uploads from the company never did this. This could hurt those YouTube channels that re-upload trailers and monetize them.
Not Official Capcom Video: Fan content may not be promoted as official Capcom content.
I’m actually happy about this one as it stops anyone from uploading “fan-made” content and labeling it as official Capcom works. There are more than a few Resident Evil fan-made works on YouTube that are very deceptive.
Only Capcom Music: Please note that some game soundtracks or songs may not be owned by Capcom, but instead are licensed from an artist or another group. As this varies from game to game, please be aware that music may trigger content flags and potential removal of the video. Game soundtracks may not be posted or distributed separately and apart from game footage.
This guideline will upset many people as it is Capcom basically stopping anyone from uploading official game music from Capcom games. I know that’s a gray area, but it’s getting a whole lot darker now. This could stop anyone from uploading not just soundtracks but also remixes and arranges as well. I hope I’m wrong about the latter.
Audience-Appropriate: All fan-created content should be appropriate for the audience of the Capcom games. For example, if you take game content for younger audience and make it objectionable, we reserve the right to take it down.
This one could impact various mods that have been created for Capcom games. There have been countless mods released for Street Fighter, Resident Evil, that alter characters’ look. Some of which extended into showing nudity, and I’m sure Capcom is not a fan of this. I expect this one to cause some ripples as well, but I agree with this guideline.
Spoilers: Any posting or other unauthorized disclosure of game content prior to a game’s official release is strictly prohibited. Even after an official game release, spoilers can ruin a fan’s experience and we always aim to avoid them. Please be respectful of others and do not deliberately push plot reveals on people who are actively avoiding learning about them; otherwise please offer spoiler disclaimers as a courtesy.
This one is a big deal, as Capcom seems to be following Atlus’s and Sega’s lead by not allowing anyone to upload content containing spoilers. This includes before a game is available for everyone and after. Meaning your favorite gaming influencers or content creators will no longer be able to upload full gameplay as of today. I also agree with this change. There’s nothing worse than having a game ruined or having someone trying to be “first” to get something uploaded, just to get a ton of views at the expense of everyone.
This is quite a number of changes and only time will tell if Capcom is 100% serious about enforcing these. It’s also going to be upload to the platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and others to make sure people follow these guidelines. Of which are a massive task and I don’t see this being possible. Only time will tell, I suppose.
I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming as Capcom has always been more lenient than other companies. These guidelines are now aligning with other companies, again being similar to what Sega/Atlus has been doing for quite some time. This also likely stems from the massive leak that the company suffered prior. Either way, this is definitely going to upset and cause concern amount the gaming community. Still, Capcm has every right to do this to protect its properties and how they’re portrayed.
What do you think about these guideline changes? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
