Atlus is implementing a very strict video policy for Persona 5, and streamers are certainly not happy about it.
The announcement of the policy, which comes after reports that Atlus has disabled the Share button on the PlayStation 4 DualShock controller for Persona 5, further limits how much of the game can be shared online through social media.
Atlus's Streaming Policy For 'Persona 5'
In a post that was uploaded to its official website, Atlus discussed videos and streaming for Persona 5. The developer pleaded with players to not post any spoilers on the story of the game and instead only talk about Persona 5 in a general way without giving away certain plot points. Players, though, are free to talk about things such as the game's Confidants, its new combat system, the returning Velvet Room, and other general topics on social media.
Atlus also requested for Persona 5 video content to only last until July 7 in the in-game calendar, and while there are no limits to the number of videos that players can upload, the length of videos should not surpass 90 minutes.
Atlus reiterated that no major story spoilers should be shown in videos taken of Persona 5, going as far as saying what is allowed and not allowed to be recorded. The developer states that the ending scenes of the first three dungeons and most major boss fights should not be shown, but things such as the initial interactions with Yusuke and the Kamoshida boss fight are allowed. Video content should also not only focus on the cut scenes of Persona 5, as the prominent feature must be either the dungeon crawling aspect of the game or its social simulator side.
Atlus then threatened copyright strikes against video makers and streamers who would not follow the aforementioned guidelines.
"If you decide to stream past 7/7 (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT DOING THIS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED), you do so at the risk of being issued a content ID claim or worse, a channel strike/account suspension," the developer said.
Streamers Fire Back At Atlus
The streamers' response on Twitch and YouTube against the policy of Atlus for Persona 5 videos has been very negative, as it continues the developer's draconian approach to streaming and Let's Play videos.
Eliot Gardepe was on the receiving end of a copyright strike for a gameplay video that he uploaded on one of the versions of Persona 5's predecessor, Persona 4: Dancing All Night. Gardepe said that the copyright strike that Atlus requested for his channel put him out of commission for six months. Copyright strikes on YouTube channels prevent the owner from doing certain actions, including uploading videos that are over 15 minutes long.
Fraser, the streamer behind the show Video Games AWESOME!, said that he understands Atlus's concern that players might no longer want to buy Persona 5 if they watch videos or streams of the game. However, he has found that his audience is actually encouraged to purchase and play a game after watching or streaming a video, though most of the viewers are actually customers who have bought the game.
Despite the threats of a copyright strike, some streamers are now actually defying Atlus's very strict policy. How this all ends remains unclear, as either a lot of streamers are going to get copyright strikes or Atlus will soften its stance on the controversial issue.
