Square Enix revised the guidelines for publishing images, videos, and live streams of Dragon Quest series titles in Japan on January 14, 2021. It now allows Japanese individual streamers to monetize videos and live streams from any Dragon Quest games for their own profit. [Thanks, Gamer.]
The press release recalled a quote from Yuji Horii, the father of Dragon Quest, that “Games are also a communication tool.” It also recognized a change in communication methods as the era progressed, with online interactions becoming more ubiquitous. Japanese individuals may now generate profit from streams and videos uploaded on platforms approved by JASRAC, such as YouTube, Niconico, and Twitch.
However, the first Q&A segment on the guidelines page noted that this allowance only applies to individuals who are currently residing in Japan. We have translated the segment as follows:
Q: Can anyone make earnings from publishing videos and images?
A: The guidelines for posting images, videos, and live streams of Dragon Quest series titles apply to individuals residing in Japan. These guidelines do not apply to live streams, videos, and images posted by individuals outside Japan or videos published by legal corporations for business.
In the Japanese press release, Square Enix also revealed that it had signed a comprehensive license agreement for multiple titles, including the Dragon Quest series with UUUM, a Japanese online content creator network. This gives further assurance for streamers in Japan to make a profit from the series’ gameplay videos.
The latest mainline title in the series is Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. The enhanced Dragon Quest XI S definitive edition launched simultaneously worldwide for Nintendo Switch first on September 27, 2019. The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions followed suit on December 4, 2020.
