New Twitch guidelines regarding branded content have the streaming community up in arms today, and one of the platform’s most influential creators has made it clear that if this policy goes into effect, he might not stick around.
After Twitch updated its guidelines today to include specifications regarding “branded content,” which introduced restrictions that previously did not exist to a creator’s ability to maximize paid partnerships with third-party brands, popular MMO streamer Asmongold expressed his disapproval in the best way he knew how.
“If this change goes through, I will pursue a non-exclusive partnership with another platform,” Asmongold said.
Though he added that he might stream on Twitch occasionally, he made it clear that he no longer wanted to be a selling point for the platform if it had guidelines that were so extraordinarily unfriendly to creators.
Related: Is Asmongold leaving Twitch for Kick? ‘Just give me money’
As streaming industry reporter Zach Bussey reported on Twitter this morning, the new guidelines included a limit to logo sizes for brands displayed on stream. Meanwhile, the change disallows streamers from having burned-in video, display, or audio advertisements from third-party brands.
The guidelines also have a list of prohibited branded content. While many of the prohibited brand categories seem understandable, like weapons and sexual services, it’s worth noting that political content is also on that list, meaning creators are not allowed to run political ads. Additionally, while streamers are not allowed to do branded content for tobacco and cannabis, alcohol is apparently acceptable.
Twitch hasn’t posted on social media addressing these changes yet, but given the massively negative response to the guideline update, I’d expect them to speak on it sooner rather than later.
“This is bad for creators,” Bussey tweeted. “Incredibly anti-creator. I don’t even know what to say.”
Bussey also noted that YouTube has similar policies regarding burned-in video ads specifically. Twitch’s approach to content creators finding third-party revenue sources seems to be even more aggressive, however.
“Twitch is actively testing first-party solutions to almost every way that creators currently earn money from third parties,” Bussey said.
The policy is set to go into effect on July 1.
