You May Now Monetize Final Fantasy XIV Videos On Youtube, Twitch

There was quite a kerfuffle the other day when it was revealed that you could not monetize any videos made using the content of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Thankfully, the overwhelming negativity by the let’s play community has gotten Square Enix to change their stance.

According to Final Fantasy 14’s official rules and policies page, the language has been updated to allow streamers to monetize videos when they play their game.

"You may not use the Materials for any sales or commercial use, meaning you cannot receive license fees or advertising revenue, except as part of the partner programs operated by YouTube.com, Twitch.tv, Ustream.tv, or similar programs. If the operator of a partner program seeks to confirm our policy, please point them to this page as we do not have the resources to respond to all requests."

This news comes a quite a relief for not only those who play video games on these social platforms to make a living, but also to gaming fans in general who want to check out gameplay footage of such online games before they commit to a purchase. As well, it shows Square Enix’ ability to listen to consumer demands and act upon them in a reasonable manner.

They should not have prevented the monetization of Youtube, Twitch, Ustream or other videos in the first place, but being able to right the ship this quickly is a welcome sign. Compare the brevity of Square to Nintendo, who earlier this year forced ads on let’s play videos. It took them over a month to reverse that policy, which is a lot slower than one would hope.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is already available on the PlayStation 3 and on PC right now, and will launch for the PlayStation 4 in 2014.