Izanagi Games has announced on Twitter that it will not allow any Death Come True streams or videos. The company has enabled the harshest possible restrictions in the hopes of avoiding spoilers. However, these will only apply to a general audience. The announcement, which had been written with attorney Hiroyuki Nakajima, did note that “pre-approved videos” from certain “content creators” will be allowed to air.
Here is the full Izanagi Games statement regarding Death Come True streams and videos. It also details which screenshots people can or can’t share. The developer’s attorney then goes on to compare streams or videos of video games as being similar to “the illegal upload of pirated movies.”
In order to prevent spoilers for users who are yet to play the game, uploading playthrough videos and live streams of Death Come True is strictly prohibited.
(Izanagi Games, Inc. has approved in advance the upload of certain gameplay videos. Currently, a limited number of pre-approved videos produced by content creators are scheduled to be uploaded.)
The upload of a limited number of spoiler-free still images from the game is permited, (this excludes the posting of still images accompanied with offensive content and other such conduct suspected to be in violation of rights) however, the upload of still images from scenes after loop three within the game (the katana scene) is prohibited. The use of still images within a video is also prohibited.
We apologize for the need to resort to the use of such a strong term like “prohibition.” However, we, alongside the creators and development team, are deeply concerned that because Death Come True is a cinematic interactive experience, the uploading of any prohibited video content will rob new users of the enjoyment of experiencing the game for the first time. The illegal upload of any videos that have not been pre-approved by Izanagi Games, Inc. will be dealt with in conjunction with attorney, Mr. Nakajima. We ask for your understanding in this matter to ensure that as many users as possible can enjoy their Death Come True experience.
Izanagi Games, Inc.
Game footage is protected under the Copyright Act as a video work. The unauthorized distribution of videos depicting the game—the result of the painstaking efforts of the creators and those responsible for its production—is illegal, and differs in no way to the illegal upload of pirated movies. If users who experience the whole game or spoilers via illegally distributed content choose not to purchase the game legitimately, the creators’ income will be affected and as a result they will be unable to create new games. This in turn is liable to have a grave impact on gaming culture as a whole. In order to preserve and protect gaming culture, copyright, and to ensure that many users can enjoy their game experience, we ask that you refrain from the illegal distribution of video content and other unlawful content.
Attorney Hiroyuki Nakajima
Death Come True will come to the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices on June 25, 2020. It will come to the PlayStation 4 and PC later.
