With Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare being an absolute gaming juggernaut, it's no surprise that YouTube is filled with all kinds of Call of Duty related videos, from insane killstreaks to funny glitches.
Except maybe not for long. According to Kotaku, video network Machinima is warning its content creating partners that Activision is cracking down on videos featuring Advanced Warfare glitches, which puts a strike against the video's uploader in the process. People are definitely upset about the move:
Just got an email from my network saying @CallofDuty AW is copyright striking videos that showcase glitches in their game...GG
— Xfactor (@rivaLxfactor) November 12, 2014
ACTIVISION WILL GIVE YOU A COPYRIGHT STRIKE IF YOU SHOW THEIR GAME FUCKING UP SICK THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP MACHINIMA pic.twitter.com/em8VoKpFtX — Bro Team Pill (@BroTeamPill) November 21, 2014
Here is Machinima's full statement:
"Recently Machinima notified it's network partners that posting content about Call of Duty videos may receive a strike if flagged by Activision. Machinima was prompted to take this action in order to inform its network partners so that they would remain in good standing on YouTube. When a channel receives a certain number of strikes it is possible that they may be blocked as a YouTube partner. Machinima's actions are to protect not only its network partners, but its publisher partners as well."
Strikes are a professional YouTuber's worst nightmare. Three strikes and a content creator loses their account and all the subscribers and fans they have spent years accumulating. Viewed in that light, it makes sense Machinima is giving partners an early heads-up.
But Activision says it isn't going out of its way to shut down glitch videos. Indeed, there are still plenty of glitch videos up on YouTube. They say they are operating as normal, only targeting videos that could be exploited by cheaters online. Below is Activision's statement on the matter:
"We're excited that so many fans are having fun playing the game and posting videos of their gameplay. We love watching the videos ourselves. Occasionally, some folks post videos that promote cheating and unfair exploits. As always, we keep an eye out for these videos-our level of video claims hasn't changed. We are appreciative of the community's support in helping to ensure that everyone has the best playing experience possible."
So what is the truth? Hard to say, but those who make a living off of YouTube are definitely concerned. Activision delivering strikes against accounts may prompt video creators to self censor their content out of fear. Even if Activision isn't doing anything differently, more needs to be done to address YouTuber concerns.
