'Streamers should be paying money to stream': Google Stadia developer under fire after controversial statement

Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter
Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter

Recently, we talked about the hundreds of Twitch streamers who, some days ago, received DMCA notices due to alleged ‘copyright infringements.’ This was because most of them inadvertently end up playing music or other types of content not belonging to them.

Verge then speculated that these notices resulted from such copyright claims that Twitch may have received in the past.

While this saw made quite a few streamers panic, Twitch also mentioned that it would automatically delete problematic content without levying any penalties, as seen below.

Speaking on the matter, Alex Hutchinson, the Montreal Studio Creative Director of Stadia Games and Entertainment, has ended up painting a somewhat controversial picture.

Google Stadia employee’s streamers comments stoke online fire

Two days ago, i.e., 22nd October, Alex Hutchinson, who’s company, formerly known as Typhoon Studios until it was acquired by Google back in December, posted the following on his Twitter wall.

According to him, instead of only being worried about the music that they end up playing on their channels, streamers should be concerned about games. He said that if video game publishers decided to enforce their copyrights, these broadcasters would be forced to stop streaming games that they haven’t paid for.

Furthermore, Alex Hutchinson suggested that streamers should be paying the developers and publishers of games to get a ‘license’ to stream. These views ended up getting him quite a bit of criticism from Twitter users.

As seen, notable content creators such as MrBeast and Pokimane were quick to criticize him for his comments.

Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter
Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter

Creators such as JackSepticeye and Phil were also quick to respond.

Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter
Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter

Overall, it looks as if the entire gaming community was fundamentally displeased at Alex Hutchinson’s comments. The relevant Twitter thread features numerous gamers who appeared to argue with him on the matter.

Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter
Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter

The consensus was that streamers are an integral part of the gaming industry and end up directly influencing factors such as sales and overall public opinion.

Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter
Image Credits: Alex Hutchinson, Twitter

It is no secret that various video game publishers have reaped the rewards for actively encouraging and engaging with streamers, and in all probability, both will disagree with Alex Hutchinson’s statements.

Edited by Ravi Iyer