Cyberpunk 2077 stands by streamers amid Twitch DMCA controversy

Georgina Smith
Cyberpunk 2077 art next to Twitch logo

The Cyberpunk 2077 team at CD Projekt RED have confirmed that streamers will not have to worry about the new heavy DMCA regulations on Twitch when streaming their game, as the soundtrack has been built from scratch.

Twitch streamers were left frustrated and worried on October 21, after a wave of DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) warnings were sent regarding their past VODs and clips, with some even being deleted.

Creators are now resorting to drastic measures to protect their channels and ensure their ability to upload future content, after it was discovered that past streams are now being picked apart. For many that means erasing the vast majority of their old content.

This included popular streamer Pokimane who said “Today, tomorrow, at some point, you guys are going to come across my channel and there’s going to be zero content. Sucks to say, but it is what it is.”

Screenshot of the game Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk will be one of the major tiles playable on Series X in November.

This is concerning particularly for gaming streamers, who may play a game like Grand Theft Auto, where copyrighted music is played in the game world, through car radios etc. But the team behind the highly anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077 have eased that concern for their upcoming game.

Twitch variety broadcaster DansGaming asked the developers whether the game would have a “streamer mode” that would allow creators the “option to mute Copyrighted Music that is licensed for the game so content creators don’t get DMCAs.”

The team replied that while there are more details to come in the near future, “our soundtrack has been created from the scratch – this includes all tracks from the numerous artists we work with. Their music has been made specifically for our game making this a bit smoother hopefully.”

This is no doubt a huge relief to both creators and the developers, as streamers will be able to dive into what looks to be one of the biggest games of the year worry-free, and devs will be able to benefit from the amazing community that can emerge thanks to streamers.

Streamer DrLupo praised the developers, saying “they gave the go-ahead to content creators, they’re f**king smart, they made it all [the music].”

CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action-adventure RPG, set in the dystopian Night City, and is due to release on November 19.