Apathy Murder Club Dev Takes Legal Action After Launch Day Stream Violation

Takiya Iijima, the developer of the visual novel Apathy Murder Club, has announced plans to take legal action against a streamer who broadcasted the game in its entirety on the day of release. This move came after the game’s Steam page requested that players refrain from streaming until August 3. Despite this, the streamer ignored the embargo and streamed multiple endings of the game.

Iijima expressed frustration on social media platform X, emphasizing the importance of respecting game creators’ wishes. He mentioned that the streaming of visual novels, which heavily rely on their narrative, can severely impact their success, likening it to streaming a copyrighted movie or book. The narrative is central to visual novels, and revealing it prematurely can diminish the game’s appeal and financial viability.

ゲーム実況のルールを守らない方がいるので僕は本当に悲しいです。こうやって作り手の気持ちを無視して喜んでいる方々に触れると、ゲームの価格を上げたり半永久的にゲーム実況を禁止せざるを得なくなります。
それでゲームが売れないというのであれば仕方ないことですね。
ゲーム実況、どうしよう？

— 飯島多紀哉 (@araninotomo) July 27, 2024

For the sake of convenience, we’ve included the important bites of Iijima’s statement made on Twitter/X:

I’m really sad that there are people who don’t follow the rules of gameplay. If we come into contact with people who are happy ignoring the feelings of game creators like this, we will have no choice but to raise the price of games or ban gameplay indefinitely. So if the game doesn’t sell, then there’s nothing we can do about it. What should I do about the gameplay?

I don’t create games so that people can create derivative works or play them live.
We create games for other people to play.
Is that wrong?
Is it wrong?
I make a living by making games.
I am supporting my family.
(Continue)

I think there are people who hope to make a living from game development someday, even if they aren’t making an income from it right now.
I would like to think that game commentary and fan fiction are a way to support such game creators.
By doing so, each party can build a harmonious and friendly relationship.
(Continue)

That is why I am worried about whether I will be able to continue building friendly relationships with these people if I continue with my current stance.
I’m conflicted.
Please give me a moment to think about it.
I’m probably more shocked than you can imagine.
sorry.

Let me explain the circumstances.
Someone gave us a live commentary of a newly released novel-style adventure game, playing it for several hours from the first day of release, through to several different endings.
Of course, live commentary is prohibited.
In novel-type games, spoilers can be fatal.
(Continue)

The game “Apathy Narukami Academy Seven Wonders” released on the Switch became a hit and even a budget version was released, so as a token of appreciation, we released a new game on Steam for a limited time at 990 yen. But this is the result.
YouTube will immediately remove the content if the original author reports it, but Twitch does not respond. It is completely unchecked.

More than the content of the commentary that was posted, I am very disappointed with the behavior.
Does the original author still have to swallow his tears and endure this?
I wonder if from now on, someone will be posting spoiler-filled commentary every time a new game is released.
Are game developers really that weak?
(Continue)

So, I’ll give you a night to think about it before I come to a conclusion on the commentary.
If I were to blurt it out right now on impulse, I’m afraid I’d end up saying the worst possible thing, so I’d like to think about it overnight, calm down, and reconsider once I’ve calmed down.
I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused, everyone.

I slept one night but couldn’t sleep very well.
I will state my conclusion after some thought.
Since we are a company, we decided to consult with our legal counsel.
The person who posted a gameplay commentary on the release date of the new game without following the rules seems to have immediately deleted it, fearing that it had become such a hot topic, but there has been no official apology. (Continued)

If I say I will consult a lawyer, I will seriously take it to court, so there is no point in running away.
If you’re a fan of mine, you know that very well.
I have all the relevant screenshots saved and I am used to litigation.
Normally the expenses would cost hundreds of thousands of yen, but since we have a legal advisor, it’s not a problem.
It doesn’t cost that much.

The reason I am so thorough is because I want to protect the future creators. Even if this person never does this to me again, I will find another small and weak prey.
Nascent creators who are powerless to resist should not fall victim to the clutches of these unscrupulous entities.

So I’m going to crush it completely.
This time, the damage was kept to a minimum thanks to the swift action of not only my fans but also those who heard about the story online.
I think everyone would like to experience fun and entertaining game commentary.
It would be terrible to allow people who torment creators to run wild and have new talent stifled.

We truly appreciate your cooperation.
Now, I wonder if that insolent person is still reading this thread.
If you haven’t read it yet, you should receive a certified letter soon, so please wait quietly until then.
This is a civil matter, but I’ll see you in court.
I will never let you escape.

If the person in question wishes to avoid legal action, he should sincerely apologize and restrict himself from making such ridiculous game commentary in the future.
If this person refuses, I will remove all past gameplay videos for which I hold the copyright from the video streaming service.
We will delete any posts, whether famous or not.

If you add them all up, it’s likely they’ve been viewed tens of millions of times, and it will take an enormous amount of time to request their removal, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.
If you want to hate someone, hate this guy.
It must be tough, as many of the commentators for my works are very popular.
Their real names will probably be revealed eventually, so I wonder what will happen.

Of course, going forward, I will continue to prohibit all game commentary of any works that I have been involved in.
I don’t care if this means my games won’t sell anymore. I just want to protect the dignity of all creators.
If game commentators are just trying to destroy creators for fun, I’ll fight them in earnest.
Be prepared.
that’s all.

You can read the rest of it here.

Visual novels in Japan often come with specific guidelines on streaming to prevent spoilers and protect the creators’ revenue. The incident has led Iijima to consider raising game prices or banning streams indefinitely to safeguard future releases. The developer’s previous title, Apathy: Narugami Gakuen Nana Fushigi, had seen success on Nintendo Switch, prompting the release of Apathy Murder Club at a reduced price to celebrate.

Although the streamer removed the videos following the backlash, they have not issued an apology, prompting Iijima to pursue legal action. He aims to set a precedent to protect developers from similar incidents in the future.

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