Electronic Arts has issued a statement to IGN regarding its policy of paying YouTube channel owners for coverage:

"Through EA's Ronku program, some fans are compensated for the YouTube videos they create and share about our games. The program requires that participants comply with FTC guidelines and identify when content is sponsored. User-generated videos are a valuable and unique aspect of how gamers share their experiences playing the games they love, and one that EA supports."

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On the heels of the revelation that some YouTube channel producers were paid to present positive coverage of Xbox One, images have surfaced online allegedly showing Electronic Arts to be involved with a similar arrangement.A post on NeoGAF includes screenshots of an "assignment" from Electronic Arts which outlines the guidelines that YouTube channel owners would have to follow in order to be paid. These details include showing footage from specific versions of the game (in the case of Need for Speed Rivals, only PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 footage qualified), not highlighting "major bugs" in commentary (while still allowing "minor glitches in footage" to be shown from Rivals), and not focusing on glitches (in Battlefield 4). Among the other games to be promoted in this way, according to the post, are Madden 25, FIFA 14, NHL 14, and Plants vs. Zombies 2.According to the rumored images, EA was paying $10 CPM ($10 per 1,000 views) for most games, each with a different view cap: Rivals videos were limited to 6 million, while Battlefield 4 videos were limited to 20 million. That's substantially more than the 1.25 million views the Xbox One campaign was capped at. Considering that was paid at a rate of $3 CPM, there was potentially a great deal more money involved with EA's campaigns than the Machinima-organized Xbox One deal.Most distressing about these EA campaigns is the fact that YouTube channels involved with them were apparently not allowed to disclose any details regarding them. This was also believed to be the case with the Xbox One arrangement, something which would potentially violate FTC guidelines stipulating that such an arrangement be made public. (It also raises questions about what degree of journalistic integrity, if any, is to be expected from YouTube personalities.) However, Machinima has since claimed it was only the details of the arrangement that were not allowed to be shared, rather than the existence of the deal itself.IGN has reached out to EA and will report back with any comment we receive.

Chris Pereira is a freelance writer who spends his spare time agonizing over the final seasons of The X-Files. Check out what he's saying on Twitter and follow him on IGN