Just one day after a gamer was suspended from Twitter and Xbox for sharing footage from the Fallout 76 Stress Test, a Twitch streamer has been shut down for live-streaming the game. The streamer was participating in the Fallout 76 Stress Test event and live-streaming their footage; a clear violation of the terms of the game’s NDA. Before the stream concluded, Twitch was tipped off by a viewer and shut it down.
Streamer Shut Down for Live-Streaming Fallout 76 Stress Test Footage
The streamer in question was a gamer known as “Time2Purge,” and had been participating in the Fallout 76 Stress Test until recently. However, it seems that either Time2Purge didn’t read the Xbox Insider terms and conditions properly, or else didn’t take them seriously. To participate in the Fallout 76 Stress Test event, gamers must go through the Xbox Insider Hub app. To access the event, they have to agree to a series of conditions, one of which is an NDA. The non-disclosure agreement is very strict; it forbids the sharing of any images, gameplay, or audio recordings, and even goes so far as to disallow players letting other people play on their accounts. Of course, live-streaming footage of the Stress Test is about as clear a violation of that NDA as possible.
According to the streamer themselves, their live-stream was shut down due to somebody reporting the channel to Twitch; “Due to powers beyond my command,” says the streamer; “and some dickwad reporting me, I’ve just been told I’m being shut down. Thanks for watching everyone! And to that dickwad: go suck a dick! You just ruined it for everyone.”
Punishments for Violating the Fallout 76 NDA
Of course, Time2Purge can complain all they like, but it was their decision to violate the terms of the NDA. Indeed, having their Twitch stream shut down may soon be the least of their concerns. The punishments for violating the NDA are severe. In the case of the other gamer who Tweeted a gameplay video of the event; Bethesda revoked their access to the Stress Test and upcoming Beta until the 25th of October. However, because the NDA is actually part of the Xbox Insider program, Microsoft suspended the gamer’s Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Insider services until the 1st of January. It seems likely that, having been caught, Time2Purge could face similar punishments. Other gamers would do best to resist the temptation to share footage of the Fallout 76 Stress Test, lest they become another cautionary tale!