Another BlizzCon has now come and gone, and despite being a digital-only event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the livestreaming event still seemed to be a success. New announcements for their big upcoming games like Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV were made, and the fan community was also given the chance to shine on Saturday. However, livestreaming events like this on various sites can provide issues, especially regarding licensing and DMCA takedowns. Such was the case with BlizzConline this past weekend, as Blizzard opted to censor their Metallica concert performance at BlizzConline to avoid a DMCA takedown on Twitch.

the current state of Twitch: the official Twitch Gaming channel cut off the live Metallica concert to play 8bit folk music to avoid DMCA pic.twitter.com/sCn56So8Ee

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) February 19, 2021

Twitter user Slasher recently shared a clip of the Metallica concert performance that was livestreamed by Blizzard as a part of BlizzConline 2021. The legendary heavy metal band was brought on to uphold the BlizzCon tradition of throwing a large concert with a big-name musical act and bring the energy up for the event. However, it seems that Blizzard was aware of the complications that DMCA rules on Twitch can bring regarding live musical performances on the platform. As such, the concert portion of the event had its audio replaced with 8-bit folk music that would not risk a DMCA takedown.

even better is watching hundreds of Twitch streamers costreaming BlizzCon frantically hit their mute for button to a million viewers so they don’t get banned for playing two seconds of St Anger. really great DMCA system we have going here for everyone involved?

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) February 20, 2021

The resulting livestream portion resulted in a humorous dubbing of the rock group, with music very much not matching their tough aesthetic. This also extended to other streamers covering the event, with hundreds of streamers reportedly hitting mute rapidly once Metallica started playing. The band’s label has been notoriously protective of their music, especially on digital platforms, so it’s no shock to see both Blizzard and streamers playing this safe. Many have used this as the perfect example of why there needs to be DMCA reform on Twitch, but until that day comes, Nothing Else Matters.

What do you guys think about Blizzard censoring their Metallica concert BlizzConline performance on Twitch? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Blizzard news, such as the Blizzard Arcade Collection announced at BlizzConline 2021, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!