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[Azure Dream]

A Japanese company randomly going crazy on YouTube after years of ignoring it? Well I never.


That really, really sucks for content creators, though, since any copyright claims negatively affects your ability to post videos, especially ones longer than 15 minutes.

 

[cicero]

Yeah, I can see how outright stealing Sega's IP and doing whatever with it is exactly the same as posting a video of someone playing a game made by Sega...

"It does not use reverse engineering nor a single line of code from the original games. It's all based on visual interpretation,"...

 

[Meicyn]

Some people in this thread seem to be confused.

Sega is not deleting videos of their new game Shining Ark but of videos for the old shining games Shining Force 3 and, probably more importantly, Shining The Holy Ark. Due to the similar names, you get more results for their old games than you get for the new game when searching on YouTube. This is something they want to stop, since they apparently regard YouTube as an important part of their marketing, but don't care for neither the old Shining games nor the fanbase of these games -- to the point that they would rather destroy the work of these passionate hardcore fans.

I've added your synopsis to the first post, hope you don't mind. It encapsulates things perfectly.

 

[Mesoian]

So when the game sells negative copies because of this, who's left to blame?

THE DEVELOPERS! Because surely they're responsible for not getting out into the streets and telling people why people should buy their games! Meanwhile Sega continues getting fat off Pachinko sales and licensing.

 

[vulva]

Wouldn't have known about this game without this thread. Thanks, probably gonna pick it up

 

[Link1110]

Some people in this thread seem to be confused.

Sega is not deleting videos of their new game Shining Ark but of videos for the old shining games Shining Force 3 and, probably more importantly, Shining The Holy Ark. Due to the similar names, you get more results for their old games than you get for the new game when searching on YouTube. This is something they want to stop, since they apparently regard YouTube as an important part of their marketing, but don't care for neither the old Shining games nor the fanbase of these games -- to the point that they would rather destroy the work of these passionate hardcore fans.

Why does this sound like something Sega, the company who could've destroyed Game Boy Color simply by continuing to release Genesis games onto the Nomad and who would go third party a few years later even though they had this opportunity, would do?

You hear about 13 year old fanboys on the internet all the time. I WAS one of those when Genesis was big., How far Sega has fallen.

 

[Takao]

Yeah wow, I didn't know they made all of these lmao. I'm pretty behind when it comes to PSP RPGs, but the fact that this one is being called a "fantasy life RPG because players can spend time baking bread or watering vegetables" really gets me excited. I'm pretty much dying for new Harvest Moon esque stuff on the PSP or Vita, although I doubt we'll be seeing anything like that tailor made for the Vita for quite some time

SEGA is still making too many PSP games. Part of me fully expects Yakuza Black Panther 3 to be announced for PSP once Yakuza 5 ships. Just to put a dagger in people's hearts, Valkyria Chronicles 4. : /

 

[Freshmaker]

"It does not use reverse engineering nor a single line of code from the original games. It's all based on visual interpretation,"...

Yeah... They used the music, and sprite rips. It played the same, and they used the same characters. They called it Streets of Rage Remake for shit's sake. (Psst. Sega can copyright more than just the code.)

They were actively taking an existing IP for their own use. It wasn't a question of if Sega would demolish their house of cards, it was a question of when.

 

[Currygan]

Some people in this thread seem to be confused.

Sega is not deleting videos of their new game Shining Ark but of videos for the old shining games Shining Force 3 and, probably more importantly, Shining The Holy Ark. Due to the similar names, you get more results for their old games than you get for the new game when searching on YouTube. This is something they want to stop, since they apparently regard YouTube as an important part of their marketing, but don't care for neither the old Shining games nor the fanbase of these games -- to the point that they would rather destroy the work of these passionate hardcore fans.

thanks for clarifying. It does make a tiny bit of sense now, but it's still utter shite. They already bollicksed the marketing because hype generates hype, and cutting off the nostalgia factor is just awful planning

 

[Bgamer90]

Some people in this thread seem to be confused.

Sega is not deleting videos of their new game Shining Ark but of videos for the old shining games Shining Force 3 and, probably more importantly, Shining The Holy Ark. Due to the similar names, you get more results for their old games than you get for the new game when searching on YouTube.

Wouldn't it cause links to the new games either way (e.g.: via "related videos")?

If something is currently being promoted and has YouTube videos, it usually gets high spots in many search results and/or "related" sections on videos with similar name(s) that are in the same genre.

For example, some (old) user videos of Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing currently have links to videos of Sonic Racing Transformed. Similar name, same genre (video gaming).

 

[Xater]

Some people in this thread seem to be confused.

Sega is not deleting videos of their new game Shining Ark but of videos for the old shining games Shining Force 3 and, probably more importantly, Shining The Holy Ark. Due to the similar names, you get more results for their old games than you get for the new game when searching on YouTube. This is something they want to stop, since they apparently regard YouTube as an important part of their marketing, but don't care for neither the old Shining games nor the fanbase of these games -- to the point that they would rather destroy the work of these passionate hardcore fans.

That's utterly disgusting. Youtube is not your private marketing platform and it is also not and it is even worse how they treat fans of their games.

 

[Takao]

The weird thing is SEGA doesn't write the Japanese names of these games in English outside of the logo (notice how the OP's video is titled "シャイニング・アーク" instead of "Shining Ark"), and I doubt you guys are using kanji for tags.

 

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

This is fucking terrible. Really bad move on Sega's part.

 

[Des0lar]

Way to go Sega, fucking with your fans is a sure way to get more sales

Can someone tell me how this is even legal (on Youtube)? How can Sega just force people to delete videos of their games?

 

[Shorty11857]

That's utterly disgusting. Youtube is not your private marketing platform and it is also not and it is even worse how they treat fans of their games.

Even worse is that they're doing it to people like TotalBiscuit who have licences to use Sega content in their videos, it's apparently just one guy doing this, some guy going around getting youtube accounts banned

Way to go Sega, fucking with your fans is a sure way to get more sales

Can someone tell me how this is even legal (on Youtube)? How can Sega just force people to delete videos of their games?

Technically you can't upload videos without permission usually this isn't a problem unless you try to make money from it, which you need a licence to do, but Sega is taking down video of people who have licences anyway!

 

[Skyzard]

Pretty surprising...hope they learn not to fuck their fans over quickly. Ah ^ that wouldn't surprise me either but why haven't all the reports caught up to him by now. Surely must have been instructed to do it.

 

[Zero-Crescent]

Talk about SEO gone horribly, horribly wrong. Completely bonkers to attack your own fans like that, particularly for a cult series that needs every bit of nostalgic messaging it can get.

 

[Brazil]

Way to go Sega, fucking with your fans is a sure way to get more sales

Can someone tell me how this is even legal (on Youtube)? How can Sega just force people to delete videos of their games?

It's their intelectual property.

YouTube isn't some bastion of freedom from copyrights and trademarks.

 

[Geoff9920]

Sega making copyright claims on these videos makes absolutely no sense. They're getting free advertising from it and all things considered they could really use it.

 

[cicero]

Yeah... They used the music, and sprite rips. It played the same, and they used the same characters. They called it Streets of Rage Remake for shit's sake. (Psst. Sega can copyright more than just the code.)

They were actively taking an existing IP for their own use. It wasn't a question of if Sega would demolish their house of cards, it was a question of when.

http://www.bombergames.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=69449#p69449

I would like to say that we did actually contact Sega last year through an e-mail message regarding the use of copyrighted material, to which they answered asking us to send a formal letter to their legal department, so that's what we did.
We accepted the ESA policies regarding the DMCA as well, otherwise this website would not exist anymore.

So they waited until a day before they released an expensive crap port of Streets of Rage 2 on iPhone and iPod touch to finally shut them down when they had full knowledge for at least three years back to 2008? How magnanimous of them.

 

[Coxy]

Sega literally attempting to destroy the memory of their old great shining games to sell their new shitty shining games. :/

I'm not surprised given the history of the people making the new shining games viewing old fans as "enemies" who were "holding them back from success"

 

[radios shipping overview]

It's their intelectual property.

YouTube isn't some bastion of freedom from copyrights and trademarks.

Aside from direct soundtrack and cinematic rips, the vast majority of game-related content on YouTube falls under the category of fair use.

 

[Shorty11857]

It's their intelectual property.

YouTube isn't some bastion of freedom from copyrights and trademarks.

But they're taking down videos by people who have the licences to use the content

 

[Takao]

Talk about SEO gone horribly, horribly wrong. Completely bonkers to attack your own fans like that, particularly for a cult series that needs every bit of nostalgic messaging it can get.

Well ... OP and this TotalBiscut guy probably weren't going to buy the newest Shining games anyways, on account of them only being released in Japan.

 

[Diddy Kong]

SEGA do what Nintendon't ?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

It's their intelectual property.

YouTube isn't some bastion of freedom from copyrights and trademarks.

Fair use is fair use.

 

[Shion]

Good work Sega...

A minor, J-only, release that isn't going to sell more than a few thousand copies isn't worth all this trouble.

 

[Rootbeer]

Disrespecting the fanbase is the exact opposite of successfully marketing your new game. That shit doesn't fly today when word spreads fast about this sort of stuff. Sega is going to regret this.

 

[Mesoian]

It's their intelectual property.

YouTube isn't some bastion of freedom from copyrights and trademarks.

You're right. (For the most part)

Sega has all the right in the world to drive their IP's into the fucking dirt so hard and so fast that people don't even realize they're still making games anymore.

 

[aliencowz7]

You're right. (For the most part)

Sega has all the right in the world to drive their IP's into the fucking dirt so hard and so fast that people don't even realize they're still making games anymore.

Not really new ground there, just look at what they have done to franchises like phantasy star. Sega can really make some baffling decisions, they are extremely talented at alienating there fan bases.

 

[Tempy]

Shitty thing to do by sega :/

The intellectual property excuse also doesn't fly here because they're doing this to only one franchise. If they actually believed that PR bull then youtube would be stripped of all Hatsune Miku vids and you'd get a real shitstorm.

 

[Ferrio]

Love how game companies will do this... it's free advertising yet they don't get it.

 

[Takao]

Good work Sega...

A minor, J-only, release that isn't going to sell more than a few thousand copies isn't worth all this trouble.

Actually, the previous two Shining games both cleared 150k in Japan with ease. That's good money for a hungry SEGA.

 

[Zero-Crescent]

Well ... OP and this TotalBiscut guy probably weren't going to buy the newest Shining games anyways, on account of them only being released in Japan.

The new Shining games are only a miniscule part of the equation. These people are not going to be buying (or in TB's case, showcasing) any Sega games. Why bother supporting a company that shut down or (in TB's case) severely-handicapped their Youtube channel?

 

[U n i o n 0015]

Oh Sega, on one hand you patch NiGHTS to address the complaints of a few hundred people and on the other, you punish your fans for promoting your games via YouTube vids.

Sega giveth, Sega taketh away!

 

[Shadow Hog]

Oh Sega, on one hand you patch NiGHTS to address the complaints of a few hundred people and on the other, you punish your fans for promoting your games via YouTube vids.

Sega giveth, Sega taketh away!

Wait, they actually followed through with the NiGHTS patch?

 

[Corleth the Fey]

£50 this new game isn't a patch on Shining the Holy Ark or Shining Force III.

Videogame Marketeers strike again. A pustulant boil on the videogame industry - to be lanced forthwith before the body is poisoned any further.

 

[Tempy]

Any reactions from Japanese fans if they've been affected too?

 

[Meicyn]

Any reactions from Japanese fans if they've been affected too?

They have been as well. Watch this Shining The Holy Ark video:

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm13587026

...or maybe not, because it's been marked for copyright infringement.

Oh, Sega.

 

[Alastor Mused]

So when the game sells negative copies because of this, who's left to blame?

The fans and their opinions will be quickly removed. Sega will be one step ahead...

 

[Len1978]

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=plcp&v=yUYxSz_sPvE

This guy channel is being hit with copyright complaints from sega

 

[U n i o n 0015]

Wait, they actually followed through with the NiGHTS patch?

Yeah dude, hit up the OT--it's pretty awesome.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Idiots.

 

[Teppic]

Edit: After reading the article below it sounds to me like it's not true.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Some companies never fail to amaze me.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Shitty thing to do by sega :/

The intellectual property excuse also doesn't fly here because they're doing this to only one franchise. If they actually believed that PR bull then youtube would be stripped of all Hatsune Miku vids and you'd get a real shitstorm.

If they stated going after Miku, watch the fan rage increase a thousand fold.

For most us Americans, it is our only exposure to the game since Sega refuses to license it for the West.

 

[Takao]

The new Shining games are only a miniscule part of the equation. These people are not going to be buying (or in TB's case, showcasing) any Sega games. Why bother supporting a company that shut down or (in TB's case) severely-handicapped their Youtube channel?

It's not like there's going to be many English SEGA games to boycott anyways.

 

[Beelzeboss]

It's a little silly to see the people in the OP talk about boycotting Sega. I'm pretty sure that's what they want in the first place.

It just sucks Sega is able to just remove content like that. If other companies decide to do the same it would be a mess.

 

[Omikaru]

There's an interesting comment on Eurogamer that may shed some light on this situation:

This started back in August with the same 'Sega' user filing copyright complaints against videos on the Shining Force SOS YouTube account - which is totally ridiculous as the videos were of people (Shining Force fans, specifically) saying who they are and that they love Shining Force. I'm not sure how Sega can claim to own the rights to videos of these people. They only targetted a few videos, primarily those posted by Shining ROM hackers, myself (Shining Force Central creator) and an editor from GamesTM magazine whose opinion I guess holds some weight too.

It would seem to stem from an altercation between Japanese fans of the 'new' Shining series from 2chan who took a dislike to 'classic' series fans supporting the SF:SOS campaign. This original altercation led to a misunderstanding with Sega and consequently bad feelings (being conveyed in less than polite way, which I have been warned not to post publically) from Sega Japan's Shining producer towards myself and the SFC community.

It may well be the folks from 2chan trying to stir things up again - though how they managed to get an official Sega Japan email address on their YouTube account is unknown. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to which videos get flagged and they certainly don't all even include gameplay footage and some include little more than a logo or the mention of the words 'Shining Force'.

 

[Meccanical]

Sounds like a whole lot of butthurt going around.