Those that have had their ear to the ground may experience a sense of deja vu from back when Persona 5 originally released in September of 2016; Atlus is once again telling people that they aren’t allowed to stream the new Persona 5 Royal title, and only the PlayStation Share function may be used for streaming the content. They’ve since released a new notice that backtracked slightly on that statement, stating that they are asking players to not stream beyond a certain date in-game: 12/24 when the new content is starting to weave its intricate web.
It’s a bizarre proposition, all things considered, and it brings up how much control a company actually has over their releases once they’ve been purchased by a consumer. SiN was noticeably yoinked from Steam libraries around the world with no notice or warning by a new title owning company recently, and everyone who purchased it is simply no longer able to play it. Tron: Evolution is similarly no longer playable due to Disney refusing to maintain a contract with SecuROM. Yet when a title is actually out there, can companies decide what platforms titles are able to be streamed on?
The answer is an obvious no, or at least not without lengthy legal battles taking place against every streamer on Twitch that opts to stream the content of Persona 5 Royal. When Persona 5 came out, it had much the same restrictions placed on the title in regards to streaming; Atlus was concerned about spoilers being sent out there accidentally by fans of the series watching a full playthrough.
https://twitter.com/JokesterArcana/status/1241667495263535105
Much to nobodies shock, streamers streamed the content regardless, and absolutely nothing happened. There were threats of copyright strikes, however, so it’s worth taking note that Atlus may try to chase down your channel for streaming on ‘non-affiliated’ platforms. The absurdity here is mesmerizing.
If this wasn’t a PlayStation exclusive (yet again), they might have a slippery precipice to stand on that would at least make sense.
Instead, the content is once again gated only to Sony consoles, meaning the vast majority of PC gamers, Xbox One owners, and Nintendo Switch owners are left out in the cold, and streaming is the only way that they could appreciate the content that Atlus has pushed out. Unless Atlus is attempting to go beyond the standard edition of console exclusivity to a new uber-exclusive standard: only people that own a PlayStation product are able to look at the Persona franchise.
It all seems a bit melodramatic, as users are inevitably going to find a way to stream the content on Twitch regardless of what Atlus thinks should and should not happen. If it was that vital, it wouldn’t have been a console exclusive; you don’t get to have your cake and eat it too.
