Microsoft paying for positive Xbox One mentions from YouTubers

Let’s Play personalities and other gaming related content on YouTube has become extremely popular over the last few years.  So popular that Microsoft is looking to pay these people a premium price to mention the Xbox One in their videos.

The catch: You can’t say anything negative about the Xbox One or its games

According to a report from ArsTechnica, Microsoft is partnering with the likes of Machinima to offer premium revenues for mentions of their new hardware.  The deal was first discovered via Twitter, where Machinima told its followers about the promotion.

The requirements to qualify for this Microsoft money seem pretty straight forward.  Machinima partners simply need to post a video that runs for at least 30 seconds that features Xbox One game footage, mention the Xbox One by name, and include a specific tag with their content.

Sounds straight forward, right?  Well a little digging has found that these YouTube content creators may not say anything negative about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its games if they want to get paid.  Trade laws in the United States dictate that when there’s a connection between a product endorser and the seller of a product, that relation must be disclosed.  It’s unclear if this is the case with this new arrangement between Microsoft, Machinima, and YouTube content creators.

Does this mean that you can’t trust your favorite video makers on YouTube?  No, not necessarily.  But, if they all of the sudden change their tone about the Xbox One or start spouting about the games or console in a manner that they hadn’t done previously, you know why.