“We’ll let you be a supported streamer, but you’re not allowed to say bad things about our game.” That’s effectively what NetEase’s Marvel Rivals was demanding streamers who were looking to join the shooter’s content creator program, according to some of the legal fine print shared by one streamer who expressed his interest in joining in.
This non-disparagement clause of the contract, which was brought to light on Twitter by former Overwatch pro Brandon “Seagull” Larned, asserts that content creators who sign the agreement cannot “make any public statements or engage in discussions that are detrimental to the reputation of the game” such as satirical comments about features, “malicious” comparisons with competitors, and “subjective negative reviews of the game.”
As one might expect, reactions to this revelation were pretty unkind, with a whole slew of replies to Larned’s tweet furrowing their brows or hitting back at NetEase with anger or snarky memes. Some players on the game’s subreddit, however, believed such a clause is business as usual and argued that streamers generally can’t be trusted or should make sure they read contracts thoroughly.
The furor was enough to cause NetEase to promise a revision while apologizing for what it calls a “miscommunication” of the contract’s terms. “We actively encourage Creators to share their honest thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms as they play,” the studio’s statement reads. “All feedback, positive and negative, ultimately helps us craft the best experience for ourselves and the players. We sincerely apologize for the confusion, suspicion, and frustration caused by these excessively restrictive terms and thank you for sharing with us.”
Dear Marvel Rivals players,
Today is the third day of the Closed Alpha Test, and we are truly grateful for all the love and support from the community.
We would like to take this opportunity to address the concerns we’ve seen regarding the agreement terms of Content Creator…
— Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) May 13, 2024
