Elden Ring releases in a few days now and FromSoftware published new guidelines for content creators and streamers in Japan after a certain controversy.
Elden Ring streaming guidelines modified in Japan
FromSoftware, the developer of the Souls series and Armored Core, published on February 22 on its Japanese site a revision of its guidelines for sharing videos and screenshots of its games.
Now, the guidelines most notably allow players to stream games like Elden Ring by using their PC or capture cards. There is still one condition though, the players need to add in their own commentary or edits rather than simply uploading and streaming hours of raw gameplay.
Before the guidelines' revision, Japanese players were only allowed to stream gameplay via the built-in share functions on consoles. And certain parts in-game had these built-in sharing functions locked, so players couldn't fully stream the games. The guidelines were changed after Japanese fans voiced their concerns on social media ahead of the release of Elden Ring.
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Japanese companies often have very restrictive streaming guidelines
It's far from unusual for Japanese companies to heavily restrict streaming via guidelines. Usually, it only happens in Japan, but the issue became infamous worldwide with the release of Persona 5 in the West in 2017. Back then, Atlus published ridiculously harsh streaming guidelines, sparking outrage among fans.
Many Japanese companies believe the best way to prevent spoilers is to publish restrictive guidelines like these, and don't fully realize the advertising potential of streaming. There was a time when both independent Vtubers and company-affiliated ones such as the talent at Hololive and Nijisanji weren't allowed to stream and monetize certain games, most notably Nintendo's.
The situation is improving though, and certain Japanese companies published these past few years guidelines where video monetization is not regarded as commercial use. For example, this is what Square Enix did with the entirety of the Dragon Quest series in 2021.
Elden Ring will be out worldwide on February 25 on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Luckily in the West, the game has no streaming restrictions. And no one would follow them even if it did.