The lengths Atlus has taken to control the probability of spoilers were practically unheard of. Their crusade against spoilers slammed the brakes on uninformed gamers who use the Playstation 4 share button feature to broadcast their favorite games. This unexpected move has an even greater impact on individuals that use popular social media platforms such as Twitch and Youtube who intended to cover Persona 5 content. You’re probably asking yourself one question as you are reading this article. What on earth did Atlus do?
Atlus made the decision to copyright strike, suspend, or shutdown the accounts of anyone who does not adhere to the guidelines they have set for uploading Persona 5 content. Content creators suffered from strikes and suspensions. The following statement of Atlus expresses their stand on the situation.
This being a Japanese title with a single-playthrough story means our masters in Japan are very wary about it. Sharing is currently blocked through the native PS4 UI. … If you decide to stream past the in game date of 7/7 (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT DOING THIS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED), you do so at the risk of being issued a content ID claim or worse, a channel strike/account suspension.
Spoilers: The Enemy of Atlus
I can understand why Atlus consider spoilers a threat to the success of Persona 5. Based on my experiences playing Persona 4 on the Playstation 2,I know Persona 5 will have strategically placed cutscenes that will randomly appear based on the actions you make and the affection level of characters you interact with during your journey. Furthermore, the time of day could even trigger random events that could easily spoil someone who is watching Persona 5 gameplay.
Atlus also feels as though revealing the game over social media could lead to forms of disengagement. They feel that people would be more inclined to watch it rather than play it, or spoilers will discourage the desire to buy the game. For instance, over the past few years there has been a rise in videos I would like to categorize as Video Game Movies; because these videos consist of only cutscenes of the entire game. Oddly enough, the previously described form of video content gets very good views over time, especially if uploaded within the first week of the official launch. Atlus and other game developers around the world works very hard to create the best content time allows. With that said, Atlus has the right to set limitations if they feel sharing too much of the game could have a negative impact on the success of their product.
Content Creator vs. Developer/Publisher
There are content creators that are disappointed with the decision Atlus made. As a fellow creator, I can agree with the creators’ side of the argument.
Many creators love to share their enthusiasm for their favorite games. However, game developers put a ton of time and effort into what they make. Furthermore, the ability to continue making video games for gamers strongly correlates with the game developers’ and publishers’ ability to make decisions to ensure a profitable return.
Atlus does have the right to control how much they want to be revealed to the public eye; but they should take a closer look at how the scope of social media has changed over the years. During my Youtube journey, there were multiple instances viewers have told me that my videos encouraged them to buy the game I have played. In this generation using social media to share gameplay videos are viewed by many as a new form of advertising.
