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Alex Hutchinson, a senior creative director for Google Stadia and the co-founder of Typhoon Studios, has suggested that streamers should pay royalties to video game developers and publishers.
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Hutchinson made his statement on Twitter, seemingly in response to a slew of DMCA takedowns that took place on Twitch earlier this week over music copyright. He argued that streamers “should be more worried” about streaming games that “they didn’t pay for [because] it’s all gone as soon as publishers decide to enforce [their copyright]”.
“The real truth is the streamers should be paying the developers and publishers of the games they stream,” he added. “They should be buying a license like any real business and paying for the content they use.”
Check out his tweets below.
The real truth is the streamers should be paying the developers and publishers of the games they stream. They should be buying a license like any real business and paying for the content they use.
— Alex Hutchinson (@BangBangClick) October 22, 2020
However, several players, including popular streamers and key industry journalists, have criticised Hutchinson’s statement. British YouTube DanTDM, who has over 23million subscribers, called Hutchinson’s comments a “terrible take” on the issue.
“The amount of exposure streamers and YouTubers give to games just by playing them is worth major $$$ by itself. Some games ONLY market through influencers now because it’s so strong and works,” he said. “You’re also Creative Director at Stadia. Stadia literally paid me and many others to promote their product…”
Read his tweets in full below.
You're also Creative Director at Stadia. Stadia literally paid me and many others to promote their product…
— ᴅᴀɴᴛᴅᴍ
(@dantdm) October 22, 2020
Despite the backlash, Hutchinson has since doubled down on his original statement: “[It’s] amazing to me that people are upset at someone saying that the creators of content should be allowed to make some of the money from other people using their content for profit.”
Since the incident, Google has released a statement distancing itself from Hutchinson’s tweets. In a statement to 9to5Google, a spokesperson for the tech giant said that “the recent tweets by Alex Hutchinson, creative director at the Montreal Studio of Stadia Games and Entertainment, do not reflect those of Stadia, YouTube or Google”.
Google Stadia is the tech giant’s cloud gaming service which launched in November 2019. Earlier this year, the company announced a slew of exclusives headed to the system, including competitive top-down shooter Outcasters and action game Orcs Must Die! 3.
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