Twitch Bans AO-Rated Streaming as Hatred Launches

Less than a day before Hatred is playable for those who preordered the game, and a few days before it launches, Twitch have updated their Rules of Conduct.

Their Rules of Conduct have updated before, as it is a 'living document', to stop people from streaming whilst not "dressed appropriately".

The Amazon-owned service has now prohibited the streaming of games which bear the Adults Only rating in ESRB countries.

The blog post which detailed this change does say that Mature games are perfectly acceptable, so you can keep streaming Grand Theft Auto V and the like, but not Hatred. Hatred being the only AO-rated title available on Steam.

If it is rated 18+ in other territories, but not AO by the ESRB, then you can stream it all you like, an edit to the policy also states.

Rules of Conduct Update: Adult Oriented Games

Edit for Clarity:

If a game’s US version is rated Adults Only by the ESRB, you should not broadcast that game on Twitch. However, ESRB rated Mature versions of Adults Only titles are permitted for streaming, such as Mature versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy.

Games rated 18+ by other rating systems are fine to stream, so long as they are not rated AO by the ESRB, and they don’t violate the standard language of our RoC and ToS.

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Our goal at Twitch is to create a safe, welcoming, inclusive community platform where everyone can feel comfortable and have fun. From time to time, we update our Rules of Conduct (RoC) in pursuit of this goal and to match emerging issues in the video game industry.

Previously, we made game-specific decisions about which games would and would not be available for broadcast – sometimes due to overtly sexual content, sometimes due to gratuitous violence. This is unsustainable and unclear, generating only further confusion among Twitch broadcasters. We would like to make this policy as transparent as possible.

Today, we’re updating the RoC with regard to Adult Only (AO) games. Simply put, AO games are not welcome on Twitch. Please refer to the ESRB’s Ratings Guide and list of Adults Only games for more information.

While the ESRB ratings apply exclusively to US titles, our policy extends to versions of these games in all territories. Generally, if the US version is rated for Adults Only (18+) or has an equivalent rating in your territory, you should not broadcast that game on Twitch.

The RoC is a living document that we update regularly based on community feedback and industry developments. We would appreciate your feedback, too.