Nintendo Cracks Down on Leaks, Data Mining

Nintendo has introduced new content guidelines that crack down on leaks.

By Ricky Frech

Over the last few days, Nintendo has been announcing various updates to its internal policies. Yesterday, the company announced a new set of community tournament rules that have left fans extremely upset due to the various restrictions. Now, Nintendo has announced a new set of content guidelines that seem to position the company to fight back against online content that it believes is infringing on its copyrighted material. In typical Nintendo fashion, the guidelines are a bit vague, giving the video game giant plenty of room to define exactly what they'll be using it for.

Nintendo Updated Content Guidelines

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(Photo: Nintendo)

The new guidelines were first spotted by the team at gamesindustry.biz, who noted that Nintendo could use these to go after things like videos about emulators, retro-themed consoles like the Analogue and Hyperkin, or even take down social media posts about datamined content. 

The notable section of the guidelines reads, "[Content that] features unauthorized game consoles and/or software not licensed by Nintendo and/or features video, images, sound sources, etc., that cannot be used in regular gameplay, extracted through game software via data mining or other methods." 

As you can see, that portion of the new guidelines has many creators concerned, especially anyone deeply involved in leaked new Nintendo games and content. The latter section in the guideline's FAQ makes it clear that Nintendo will be targeting anyone who "extracts" content "via data mining or other methods." If you're found to be doing it, Nintendo says it will work with its third-party partners to get the content taken down. It's also worth noting that it applies to both uploads and livestreaming, so Nintendo isn't leaving any loopholes open.

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Whether you're someone who makes Nintendo content or just a reader/watcher, it's worth looking through the new guidelines in their entirety to see all of the changes. Outside of the changes being made to how Nintendo is targeting players who upload content that it feels infringes on its rights, there's nothing too surprising in this, but it's always smart to be aware of what a massive company like Nintendo is doing in regards to its content so you're not caught unawares.

Nintendo New Community Tournament Rules

Speaking of rule changes, the community tournament guidelines came down yesterday and included some surprising rule changes, including a new limit on the size of player pools. Nintendo announced that community tournaments cannot have a a pool of more than 200 in-person players or 300 online players. On top of that, Nintendo has also set strict rules on how much participants can be charged and says that tournaments can only use consoles, accessories, and software licensed by the company. That throws into question how players who need different controllers for accessibility needs will be able to compete and has players across the internet wondering about the viability of future tournaments using Nintendo games and consoles.

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