diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckBackgroundQualityTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckBackgroundQualityTest.cs
index 3424cfe732..2918dde2db 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckBackgroundQualityTest.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckBackgroundQualityTest.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Editing.Checks
         public void TestMissing()
         {
             // While this is a problem, it is out of scope for this check and is caught by a different one.
-            beatmap.Metadata.BackgroundFile = null;
+            beatmap.Metadata.BackgroundFile = string.Empty;
             var context = getContext(null, System.Array.Empty<byte>());
 
             Assert.That(check.Run(context), Is.Empty);
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckFilePresenceTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckFilePresenceTest.cs
index 39a1d76d83..70e4c76b19 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckFilePresenceTest.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Editing/Checks/CheckFilePresenceTest.cs
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Editing.Checks
         [Test]
         public void TestBackgroundNotSet()
         {
-            beatmap.Metadata.BackgroundFile = null;
+            beatmap.Metadata.BackgroundFile = string.Empty;
 
             var context = new BeatmapVerifierContext(beatmap, new TestWorkingBeatmap(beatmap));
             var issues = check.Run(context).ToList();
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/NonVisual/Filtering/FilterMatchingTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/NonVisual/Filtering/FilterMatchingTest.cs
index ed86daf8b6..41939cec3f 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/NonVisual/Filtering/FilterMatchingTest.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/NonVisual/Filtering/FilterMatchingTest.cs
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.NonVisual.Filtering
         public void TestCriteriaMatchingArtistWithNullUnicodeName(string artistName, bool filtered)
         {
             var exampleBeatmapInfo = getExampleBeatmap();
-            exampleBeatmapInfo.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = null;
+            exampleBeatmapInfo.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = string.Empty;
 
             var criteria = new FilterCriteria
             {
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Editing/TestSceneMetadataSection.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Editing/TestSceneMetadataSection.cs
index 19081f3281..4621436cc6 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Editing/TestSceneMetadataSection.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Editing/TestSceneMetadataSection.cs
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Editing
             AddStep("set metadata", () =>
             {
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.Artist = "Example Artist";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = string.Empty;
 
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.Title = "Example Title";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.TitleUnicode = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.TitleUnicode = string.Empty;
             });
 
             createSection();
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Editing
             AddStep("set metadata", () =>
             {
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = "＊なみりん";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Artist = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Artist = string.Empty;
 
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.TitleUnicode = "コイシテイク・プラネット";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Title = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Title = string.Empty;
             });
 
             createSection();
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Editing
             AddStep("set metadata", () =>
             {
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.ArtistUnicode = "＊なみりん";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Artist = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Artist = string.Empty;
 
                 editorBeatmap.Metadata.TitleUnicode = "コイシテイク・プラネット";
-                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Title = null;
+                editorBeatmap.Metadata.Title = string.Empty;
             });
 
             createSection();
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Gameplay/TestSceneReplayRecording.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Gameplay/TestSceneReplayRecording.cs
index 3545fc96e8..08578168d6 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Gameplay/TestSceneReplayRecording.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Gameplay/TestSceneReplayRecording.cs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Gameplay
                                 ScoreInfo = { BeatmapInfo = gameplayState.Beatmap.BeatmapInfo }
                             })
                             {
-                                ScreenSpaceToGamefield = pos => recordingManager.ToLocalSpace(pos)
+                                ScreenSpaceToGamefield = pos => recordingManager?.ToLocalSpace(pos) ?? Vector2.Zero,
                             },
                             Child = new Container
                             {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Gameplay
                         {
                             ReplayInputHandler = new TestFramedReplayInputHandler(replay)
                             {
-                                GamefieldToScreenSpace = pos => playbackManager.ToScreenSpace(pos),
+                                GamefieldToScreenSpace = pos => playbackManager?.ToScreenSpace(pos) ?? Vector2.Zero,
                             },
                             Child = new Container
                             {
diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/Select/Carousel/DrawableCarouselBeatmap.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/Select/Carousel/DrawableCarouselBeatmap.cs
index 5940911d4a..8a5dde961f 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/Select/Carousel/DrawableCarouselBeatmap.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Screens/Select/Carousel/DrawableCarouselBeatmap.cs
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.Select.Carousel
                                         },
                                         new OsuSpriteText
                                         {
-                                            Text = $"{(beatmapInfo.Metadata ?? beatmapInfo.BeatmapSet.Metadata).Author.Username}",
+                                            Text = $"{(beatmapInfo.Metadata ?? beatmapInfo.BeatmapSet.Metadata).Author?.Username ?? string.Empty}",
                                             Font = OsuFont.GetFont(italics: true),
                                             Anchor = Anchor.BottomLeft,
                                             Origin = Anchor.BottomLeft
diff --git a/osu.Game/Storyboards/Storyboard.cs b/osu.Game/Storyboards/Storyboard.cs
index a25bf24491..99123627bd 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Storyboards/Storyboard.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Storyboards/Storyboard.cs
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Storyboards
         {
             get
             {
-                string backgroundPath = BeatmapInfo.BeatmapSet?.Metadata?.BackgroundFile?.ToLowerInvariant();
-                if (backgroundPath == null)
+                string backgroundPath = BeatmapInfo.BeatmapSet?.Metadata?.BackgroundFile.ToLowerInvariant();
+                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(backgroundPath))
                     return false;
 
                 return GetLayer("Background").Elements.Any(e => e.Path.ToLowerInvariant() == backgroundPath);