Fez Creator Phil Fish: YouTubers Should Pay Game Devs "Huge Portion" of Revenue

[snowComet]

In a series of tweets, Phil Fish, creator of "FEZ",stated that youtuber who stream gameplay content should pay game devs a huge portion of their revenue, as "from which they steal all their content".

"YouTubers should have to pay out a huge portion of their revenue to the developers from which they steal all their content," Fish said in the first of a series of tweets. "[Ad] revenue should be shared with developers," he continued. "This should be built into YouTube. Anything else is basically piracy."

He then tweeted several more times, as follows:

"If you generate money from putting my content on your channel, you owe me money. Simple as that." "If you buy a movie, are you then allowed to stream the entirety of it publicly for people to watch for free? No, because that's illegal." "Systems are in place to prevent that. But buy Fez, put ALL of it on YouTube, turn on ads, make money from it and that's TOTALLY FINE." "And the developer should in NO WAY be compensated for their work being freely distributed to the world. Right. Makes sense."

Since then, Fish's twitter was flooded with tweets disagrees with his ideas, and he soon limited his twitter account to approved followers, or even possible deleted his account.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fez-creator-phil-fish-youtubers-should-pay-game-devs-huge-portion-of-revenue/1100-6420573/

[ericlee30]

I disagree, tell they stop making crappy ports, and making excuses about 60FPS, they deserve nothing.

[PillowSmoke]

I say otherwise, they're actually promoting the game.

[Snickerzz]

um, half my games i play ive gotten because of NerdCubed playing them....

[The Crazed Child]

Sounds like something EA would say, not an indie developer.

[Hobox]

While I wouldn't say I agree with him, I definitely will say it's not as cut-and-dry as the internet wants this argument to be. When huge games like Call of Duty get gameplay footage on youtube, it really doesn't affect them. But a small, niche game? Or an indie game? I'm willing to get that youtube playthroughs actually do make a noticeable dent in their income.

[Bluuz]

He wants people to pay him on top of free advertising? Some people...

[TheSLSAMG]

Says the guy who rage quit on his career because he had a Twitter fight.

 

Moving on...

[kuddlesworth9419]

And people continue to hate the Fish.

[Fate]

Yea let's pay companies money so that we can make them more money #logic

[helping]

Sounds like something Nintendo would say, not an indie developer.

FTFY

because this is exactly what Nintendo thinks.

[IPCharger]

Relevant video

[Hidden Orange]

For what? Playing your game(s) and giving you free advertisement? There are countless of games that I bought due to a Youtuber, reviewer, forum goer, friends, etc. have played, recorded, talked about, or written about. What's next? If a friend mentions a game, he'll have to fork over $1 to you? Or how about a forum user talking about Fez? Does she have to pay you to mention your "masterpiece"?

 

I'd love to be a Let's Player or whatever they call it nowadays, but I will never accept the partnership unless all the money goes to charities of my picking. Do I have to pay your ass then? All the money going to medical research, veteran, disabled, mental health care, and schools, and shit? Now I have to pay your sorry ass 'cause your game isn't making enough cash? Make another game then, asshole. I would be spending my own hard-earned cash to do something I love and now I have to pay you?! Goddamned prick.

 

Sorry, my rant's over, but whenever I see the Fez creator's name anywhere on recent news, all I see are pretentious, entitled, rude bullshit coming from him.

[WereCat]

Is he basically saying that if I watch friend at his house playing some game then I am pirate? Or is he pirate because he is allowing me to see gameplay of game I don't own?

I highly disagree with this.

[BrandedUpontheGrave]

I'm just gonna leave this here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzeULO59hG0

[Misanthrope]

"And if you win against my claims, I'll cancel Fez II for really reals this time you meanies!"

[MbV93]

This guy is the biggest douche in the industry... I thought he had retired.

[mr moose]

Every time a game developer comes out and says something like this, and there has been a lot lately, The responses from forums like these are highly predictable and often very negative in nature.  Surely they aren't that stupid to be trolling their own market base, or even making comments that they know will have a negative impact.  So I am thinking that they make comments like these solely for the backlash that they will get because similar sized PR just can't be bought cheaper.   If this is true, then that makes most of us pawns in some mans money making game?

[totjup5]

does anyone actually care about what this guy says? I literally didn't buy his game because he's a whining little bitch on twitter.

[Hidden Orange]

Every time a game developer comes out and says something like this, and there has been a lot lately, The responses from forums like these are highly predictable and often very negative in nature.  Surely they aren't that stupid to be trolling their own market base, or even making comments that they know will have a negative impact.  So I am thinking that they make comments like these solely for the backlash that they will get because similar sized PR just can't be bought cheaper.   If this is true, then that makes most of us pawns in some mans money making game?

Well, what this guy is asking for is a "huge portion" rather than a small cut like maybe 5% for whatever a Youtuber makes. I'm assuming this guy wants like 50% or hell, even 75% of the cut which is insane, wrong, and dickish. I don't remember Nintendo saying how much revenue would be taken.

 

Right now, the gaming industry is basically going through what the music industry is going through with. Artists make most of their money through concerts rather than selling their songs and albums - sellers, publishers, etc. all get a cut. Similarly, game developers make their money through selling their games, but stuff like advertisements, working under publishers, etc. means whatever they make is getting cut up to pay for the other services. There's a reason why game developers are looking towards Kickstarter so they don't have to deal with a budget/loan given to them by the publisher. Not only that, both the music and gaming industry are kinda corrupt and stagnant. Music is focused so much on pop and rap while using scandals to draw in views and stuff while gaming has been stuck with shooters and strange business practices like DLC, pre-orders, cut content, etc. Now, we have game developers saying stuff based on their beliefs and I bet some are doing it to get attention while others do have valid and debatable topics and solutions.

 

As for the whole "streaming it for free for everyone". Umm, people do that with music anyway, along with pirating music. As for films, the older ones and more obscure ones get streamed or uploaded anyway. Same with anime and manga. Films, especially high-budget ones are more regulated, but people are used to renting and going to a movie theater. As for music, well, people listened to it on the radio, their friends and family who do covers of them, through albums, etc. Games work in the same way since many gamers have watched their older sibling and friends play games before becoming gamers themselves.

 

This guy, however, just comes off as an ass every time I see his name pop up. I don't give a damn how great your game is, you're not da Vinci, Monet, Manet, etc. And you know what's funny? Those great artists some times died hated, forgotten, and humiliated until others saw and understood their great works.

[ajoy39]

I disagree, tell they stop making crappy ports, and making excuses about 60FPS, they deserve nothing.

Developers are not a collective whose wages should be decided based on their total performance, but even if they were this is a terrible terrible opinion. 

[CoronaBlue]

You cannot compare video games to movies. You can't really compare video games to anything. Video games are an interactive experience. Saying that watching someone else play a video game is equivalent to playing it yourself is like saying that watching someone play D&D is equivalent to playing it yourself. It just isn't true. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Acquisitions Inc., but for the commentary, not the game itself. Watching it will never be the same as playing.

[ericlee30]

but even if they were this is a terrible terrible opinion. 

Again, I disagree,but hey thats the great things about opinions

[kirBi]

Phil Fish? Oh yea that douchebag existed......

[Imaginaerum]

Phil Fish? Oh yea that douchebag existed......

You gotta be a little crazy to get to where he's gone. His temper tantrums are ridiculous but at least he's funny.