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Google has moved to distance itself from comments made by Stadia Games and Entertainment Montreal's Alex Hutchinson that suggested that streamers and content creators should be buying a license to stream games on sites such as Twitch and YouTube.
The original comments (spotted by Eurogamer) came in the wake of Twitch deleting a swathe of videos and content earlier this week in order to meet with DMCA requirements and claims from the music industry for using copyrighted music in their broadcasts (as reported by Kotaku) Hutchinson—who previously worked on games such as Assassin's Creed 3, Far Cry 4 and most recently Journey to the Savage Planet— posted via Twitter that streamers should be "be more worried by the fact that they're streaming games they didn't pay for as well. It's all gone as soon as publishers decide to enforce it."
He continued in a follow up tweet; "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."
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
The comments did not go down well on social media, with many pointing out games such as Among Us and Fall Guys as attributing a major part of their success as thanks to them being broadcast on Twitch. The comments even included creators such as DanTDM pointing out that Google Stadia itself had paid him and many other influencers and streamers to promote the console, and also therefore relied on content creators for their success.
A part of this ire was also drawn due to Hutchinson previously listing his job title on Twitter as "Creative Director at Google Stadia" which resulted in Google themselves being asked to comment on the remarks, giving a statement to 9to5Google saying "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."
YouTube, who are a part of Google, also offered up a statement of their own through their Gaming, Commerce and Immersive lead Ryan Wyatt, who tweeted "We believe that Publishers and Creators have a wonderful symbiotic relationship that has allowed a thriving ecosystem to be created. One that has mutually benefited everyone! YT is focused on creating value for Creators, Publishers, & Users. All ships rise when we work together."
We believe that Publishers and Creators have a wonderful symbiotic relationship that has allowed a thriving ecosystem to be created. One that has mutually benefited everyone! YT is focused on creating value for Creators, Publishers, & Users. All ships rise when we work together.
— Ryan Wyatt (@Fwiz) October 22, 2020
For his part, Hutchinson would later clarify his job position in his Twitter bio and added that all opinions were his own, though also stood by his initial statement, saying "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."
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.
— Alex Hutchinson (@BangBangClick) October 22, 2020
