Microsoft Lets Content Creators Monetize Its Games On YouTube

The intersection of online video game commentators and the companies that publish the games those commentators play is a contentious place. In an effort to protect their respective IPs, many game companies do not allow creators to monetize videos featuring copyrighted material. Other publishers (including Nintendo) have realized that “Let’s Play” videos and their ilk serve as powerful forms of free marketing, and that, by allowing commentators to profit from videos featuring copyrighted material, they can encourage the creation of more of that free marketing.

The latest company to come to that conclusion is Microsoft. The tech giant, which publishes game franchises like Halo and Gears of War, has unveiled a new set of “Game Content Usage Rules” that allow YouTube and Twitch users to profit from streams, Let’s Plays, machinima animations, and other videos featuring Microsoft game content.

Of course, this permission comes with a number of stipulations, though none of them particularly restrictive. Microsoft will not these videos to be posted to subscription-based sites or used as promotional material for other items. These permissions also do not extend to game music or soundtracks, because Microsoft “[doesn’t] always have the rights to pass them on to you.” Microsoft also retains the right to use and distribute monetized videos as it sees fit.

Perhaps the most interesting restriction concerns the titles of these monetized videos. “In addition, your Items may not use the name of the Microsoft Game in their title,” read the rules. “For example, we don’t object to “Red vs. Blue”. We don’t object to “Operation Chastity”. But we do object to “Halo [insert the title of your Item here]”. We want to make sure consumers don’t get confused.” This clause is unsurprising; Microsoft has previously encountered some issues related to videos that aren’t clearly marked as paid content.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the new rules won’t apply to Minecraft, which Microsoft purchased from Mojang for $2.5 billion in September 2014. The blocky sandbox game continues to have its own usage guidelines, which are very permissive. “You are allowed to put footage of our Game on YouTube or any other website,” they read. “In fact, we like you doing so…You may make money using your videos of our Game so, for instance by putting ads on them, as long as you also add your own unique content to the video, such as audio commentary.”

Caveats notwithstanding, Microsoft’s new rules represent a forward-thinking philosophy in Redmond. The company’s decision will put a lot more money in content creators’ pockets–as well as Microsoft’s.