Sometime in the future, you’ll be able to upload your most intense and impressive matches in Nintendo’s all-star fighting game Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U straight to YouTube. Nintendo shared a few details of the upcoming feature during a streaming event this morning. And we do mean “a few details.”
Here’s what we know: Smash Bros. is getting the support in a “future update,” and you’ll be able to export video directly from the game. Series director Masahiro Sakurai also mentioned that you’ll need a Google account to use this service — just like anyone else who wants to put stuff on YouTube. And you’ll be able to watch your videos on your computer and smartphone, again, because that’s how YouTube works.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1749302,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"A"}']This is actually huge news for Nintendo, which hasn’t been the biggest fan of having its content show up on the streaming site. It currently hosts an affiliate program to claim 30 percent to 40 percent of ad revenue from fan-made videos featuring Nintendo content. We don’t know if Smash Bros. is going to continue the trend or if it signals a new, more open and understanding Nintendo, but here’s hoping it’s the latter. If not, it’s about to see a huge influx of participants to that affiliate program, which is sure to generate some dollars for the company.
Wii U competitors Xbox One and PlayStation 4 already have more robust versions of this feature which allow players to quickly save and distribute clips from any game they’re playing. If the Smash Bros. functionality works out for the company, expect it to show up in even more Wii U titles. Based on Nintendo’s business model regarding streaming, it could be as profitable as downloadable content.