It is currently a trend that the release of a title comes accompanied by broadcasts of gameplay on different platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. This activity has generated significant income for those who do, but YouTube has made changes that update the relationship between content transmission and its potential monetization. In the case of South Park: The Fractured But Whole, there is no good news.
Since its launch on October 17, South Park: The Fractured But Whole has become a challenge for YouTubers as the title content does not allow it to be authorized to monetize a broadcast or video with gameplay.
The topics covered in the game, as in the cartoon, including content on violence, racism, etc. This has caused that those interested in the transmission of a gameplay of the title on YouTube and that those who are looking to obtain an income for it come across a barrier with the terms of use of the platform.
Some YouTubers realized these moments after beginning with their gameplay because YouTube notified to them that the content of South Park: The Fractured But Whole was not appropriate to monetize. As the reaction of the platform works by an automated system, some affected had to censor and try to cover content that conflicts with their interests but complained about having to work on the title and having to upload the video again. For its part, the controversial YouTuber, PewDiePie, decided to name their game videos as “demonetized edition” as a criticism.
Ryan Wyatt, head of game content on YouTube, responded: “Our automated systems do not make video-specific decisions around what can or can’t be monetized based on the publisher or game. On the contrary, not only do we want to see epic gameplay, we want you to have the opportunity to make money while doing it. As we said in our advertiser guidelines — violence in the normal course of video gameplay is generally OK for advertising, but gratuitous violence as the focal point is not. Excessive profanity as well as title, thumbnail or meta data can also impact a video’s monetization.”
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
