Twitch Introduces New Rules, And Once Again, Lots Of People Think They're Bad

Stop us if you've heard this before: Twitch recently introduced a new set of guidelines that many creators on the streaming platform argue will make it more difficult to make money, causing a wave of backlash against the website.

This time around, the Amazon-owned Twitch has rolled out a new set of branded content guidelines that limit the amount of time and screen space creators can devote to ads. In its new and controversial branded content guidelines, Twitch says it will only allow brand logo overlays to take up 3 percent of a streamer's video. "Burned-in" video, display and audio ads are also no longer allowed.

The new guidelines have made some of Twitch's top names seemingly furious, with star streamers like Asmongold threatening to leave the platform and advocating for others to boycott the website.

Several creators have argued that the new rules essentially make it more difficult for streamers to have profitable partnerships with brands. In a tweet, Asmongold wrote that the changes served no purpose but to "monopolize more of streamers' income," referencing the contentious 50/50 revenue split coming to the platform in the near future.

According to the old terms of service, when a brand partnered with a Twitch streamer, all the money from in-stream ads would go directly to a streamer's pocket, not Twitch's. These branded partnerships are how some of the top creators on Twitch earn a notable amount of their income from streaming, and several have argued that Twitch has essentially nuked that system.

CEO of Ping Labs and former Twitch employee Theo Browne told Kotaku that the change will mostly affect the top 100 streamers on the platform, as well as any events that broadcast on Twitch, like the Streamer Awards and video game tournaments.

Esports organizations are very reliant on advertising to run profitable events, and some are arguing Twitch essentially banned the running of commercials prepared by sponsors. Charity streams like Games Done Quick may also be greatly affected by the rule changes, as now streamers won't be allowed to run ads or banners for various charities.

In response to the outrage, Twitch posted a series of tweets saying its initial update was "too broad" and that it "does not intend to limit streamers’ ability to enter into direct relationships with sponsors." However, it is unclear what limitations Twitch will ultimately enforce and if popular Twitch streamers will stick around with the site after the changes or make a move to one of the growing number of live-streaming alternatives.

Alongside the growing backlash, some notable streamers and content creators (like MrBeast) are threatening to move to the streaming platform Kick, which has quickly become a budding rival to Twitch as the company continues to introduce new controversial policies.