Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the biggest games of 2020. It’s massive financial success has far exceeded expectations, most likely because of the worldwide lockdown caused by COVID-19. But with a Thanksgiving and an AC:NH Toy Day celebration update pending, fans got a nasty surprise from Nintendo that seems counter to the holiday spirit.
The massive, world-wide phenomenon that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons began all the way back in March 2020. After release, tons of gamers flocked to an uninhabited islands and began almost immediately creating content. From YouTube videos to Twitch streams to black market sales of in-game items for real money, the game was everywhere. To date, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold about 15 million copies in the last three months alone, giving the game a total sale number that is closing in on 40 million copies.
In a November 19th, 2020 update to the usage guidelines for the game, Nintendo warned content creators against using a 2020 Game of the Year Nominee Animal Crossing: New Horizons to make themselves any revenue at all. The terms update included warning that seemed to target content creators specifically, mentioning that selling custom designs or gaining revenue from videos featuring the game was now against terms of service.
Nintendo added that players should also:
- Please be aware of the game rating and do not engage in activities that go beyond the rating.
- Please refrain from using the Game inappropriately or creating any content within the Game that would be considered vulgar, discriminatory, or offensive. Please also refrain from bringing politics into the Game.
- Please do not share false information about the Game with anyone, and do not deceive others while using the Game (e.g. falsely indicating you are separately licensed or otherwise approved by Nintendo).
- Please do not leverage the Game as a marketing platform that directs people to activities or campaigns outside the game (including directing people to a sales page, distributing coupons, sweepstakes, giveaways, requiring consumers to follow social network services accounts, gathering customers’ information, or other invitational activities).
- You are not allowed to obtain any financial benefit from using the Game (including selling your Custom Design or earning any advertising revenue with the Game content).
This seems like a slap in the face for many content creators, who took to Twitter to show how unpopular this update was:
“Did Nintendo really just allow the obvious community aspect, there for content creator space, carry their game well beyond previous titles just to remove that option after it’s [sic] success?” -JanuaryAndOn
“Congrats Nintendo you’ve killed this game. Can’t move your island and don’t you dare show it to anyone if you’re a content creator… Sometimes Nintendo makes me shake my head” -Ravage Vision
It seems like Nintendo partially relied on content creators to increase sales, make the game massively popular, only to start removing monetized content from YouTube and other places. Not to mention those who have shared custom creations for Black Lives Matter, political candidates and parties, and other political issues.
While Nintendo also mentions in this Usage update that “Businesses and organizations may use the Game in… Providing your Custom Design and/or Dream Address to other players, Inviting other players to your island, Uploading screenshots and/or game footage to family-friendly websites and social network services,” does this include AOC and Joe Biden opening their AC:NH islands to visitors, considering that their jobs are inherently political?
It also begs the question what sort of retaliation that Nintendo has planned against content creators that break these rules.
While there are no rules against sharing the latest and greatest custom designs for Animal Crossing, like all the great Halloween designs from last month, there seems to be a very thin line that content creators and businesses will have to walk to keep Nintendo at bay. Hopefully, this is just a legal precedent for removing problem or questionable content creators, and that most YouTubers and Let’s Players will never hear from Nintendo’s Legal Team.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo
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