Game Streaming and Monetization Policy: What to Tell Creators
TL;DR: Put a short, explicit policy on your press kit. Say whether creators may stream, post and monetize videos of your game; say whether your soundtrack is safe to keep on or registered with Content ID; flag any licensed music; and add spoiler or credit requests. Permission from you never overrides a platform's own monetization rules, so don't promise more than you control.
Key Takeaways
- Creators look for a written permission before they cover a game. Twitch tells streamers to check the game's terms for exactly this.
- Your permission covers your rights, not the platform's rules: YouTube still decides monetization under its own policies.
- The soundtrack is where most claims come from. If you or your composer's distributor registered it with Content ID, creators can get claimed even though you said yes.
- Licensed third-party music can be claimed by its owner no matter what you write. Tell creators to mute it, or offer a streamer mode.
- Keep it on your press kit page, in plain text, next to your contact address.
Why creators need it in writing
A creator who covers your game puts their channel at risk if something gets claimed. Most will not email you to ask; they skip the game or turn the music off and hope. A visible policy removes that doubt in ten seconds.
Twitch's own guidance on in-game music says it outright: check the game's EULA or terms for words like "stream" and "music", or mute the game audio when in doubt (Twitch blog, 2020). Your press kit is the easiest place for a creator to find that answer.
What a good policy covers
1. Permission to stream and post videos
The core sentence. Pick one:
- Allowed, monetization included: creators may stream the game and post videos of it, and may monetize them.
- Allowed, no monetization: creators may stream and post, but not earn money from those videos.
- Ask first: creators should contact you before publishing. Use this only if you have a real reason, such as an unreleased build; every extra step loses you coverage.
If you allow monetization, phrase it as "subject to each platform's own rules". YouTube's Partner Program judges reused content on whether the creator adds something of their own, such as commentary or editing (YouTube: reused content). Your permission removes the copyright question; it doesn't guarantee the video earns money.
2. Soundtrack and Content ID
This is where most trouble starts. Gameplay footage itself can't be registered as a Content ID reference by anyone other than its owner, but an original game soundtrack can, when the publisher owns it (YouTube: Content ID eligibility). Composers often put their soundtrack on streaming services through a distributor that registers it automatically. The result: a creator plays your game with your permission and still gets a claim.
Say which situation you're in:
- Original and not registered: the music is yours and you haven't registered it. Creators can keep the game audio on, and should email you if a claim turns up anyway (a distributor may have registered it without you knowing).
- Registered with Content ID: creators may get a claim. Give them an email address and promise to release claims on request. Check with your composer or distributor what is registered and who can release it before you make that promise.
3. Licensed music
If the game contains licensed tracks (a radio station, a licensed song in a cutscene), you can't give permission for those. Tell creators which tracks or scenes are affected and that they should mute game music there. If your game has a streamer mode or a music toggle, say so.
4. Spoilers, embargoes and credit
Optional, but useful:
- Spoiler requests: "Please don't show the ending" or "keep the final chapter off thumbnails".
- Embargo dates for review copies or demos.
- What you'd like in the video description: a link to your Steam page, your studio name.
- Whether the policy also covers the demo, and that you may update it later.