Twitch is a live streaming video platform where gamers can livestream video games they play while receiving donations from viewers. Twitch streamers have come under fire in the past for the fact that they don’t need to pay in order to stream games to a large audience.

This might be changing soon due to recent events concerning Twitch streamers and the platform itself. Alex Hutchinson, the creative director at Stadia Games & Entertainment (SG&E) Montreal Studio, weighed in on the issue by claiming that Twitch streamers should have to buy licenses to be able to stream games on the Twitch platform.  

This claim was made after Twitch handed out multiple Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claims to several Twitch streamers for playing copyrighted music during their streams. According to gameranx.com, Hutchinson commented on online gaming service company, Google Stadia, saying that streamers should have to pay developers and publishers a licensing fee to stream their games. Google Stadia has since distanced themselves from Hudson, saying that his opinion was his own and that it did not reflect the views of Stadia, YouTube or Google.

However, since Twitch streamers get paid for streaming games despite it not being considered a real full-time job, I do think Twitch streamers should have to pay some sort of licensing fee. I feel like if the Twitch streamers had to pay a licensing fee for playing a company’s specific game, they would appreciate the game a lot more, and might be motivated to tell their followers about the game, or maybe even play the game themselves. This would more directly benefit the studios and companies behind the games financially. 

I do think it was a good idea for Google Stadia to back away from the controversy surrounding Twitch streamers and whether they should be buying licenses to stream games. While I agree with the comments Alex Hutchinson has made, I understand Google Stadia’s desire to distance themselves from him in order to preserve their public image.