VTuber
Her popularity sparked a VTuber trend in Japan, and it spurred the establishment of specialized agencies to promote them, including major ones such as Hololive Production, Nijisanji, and VShojo.
[13] A VTuber's avatar is typically animated using a webcam and software, which captures the streamer's motions, expressions, and mouth movements, and maps them to a two- or three-dimensional model.
[17] In 2022, VTube Studio released an update allowing for AI-accelerated facial motion capture using Nvidia RTX graphics cards.
[19] By contrast, some VTubers, colloquially known as "PNGTubers" (in reference to the PNG image format), use static sprites as opposed to a rigged model.
Streamers are employed by an agency (sometimes via open auditions)[21] to portray characters developed by the company, which are then commercialized via merchandising and other promotional appearances, as well as traditional revenue streams such as monetization of their videos, and viewer donations.
[25][26] Some agencies and groups, such as U.S.-based VShojo, focus primarily on recruiting and promoting existing independent VTubers as a collective team, rather than hiring streamers to portray proprietary characters.
[27] On February 12, 2010, visual novel maker Nitroplus began uploading videos to its YouTube channel featuring an animated 3D version of its mascot Super Sonico, who would usually talk to the audience about herself or about releases related to the company.
[28][non-primary source needed] On June 13, 2011, UK-based Japanese vlogger Ami Yamato uploaded her first video, which featured an animated, virtual avatar speaking to the camera.
[39] Cover Corporation, a company that was originally developing augmented and virtual reality software, shifted its focus to VTubers by establishing Hololive.
[3] The COVID-19 pandemic led to an overall increase in viewership of video game live streaming in general in 2020, which helped contribute to the growth of VTubers into a mainstream phenomenon.
[51] The following month, in the midst of a subathon event, Ironmouse accumulated the largest number of active paid subscriptions of all streamers on the platform at that point in time, although still behind an overall record previously set by Ludwig.
[53] In December 2022, the independent VTuber Neuro-sama gained attention on Twitch for its use of a large language model attached to a speech synthesis system to interact with her audience.
[54] In February 2024, Anycolor faced criticism over the treatment of its talent, following the termination of its contract with Nijisanji EN streamer Selen Tatsuki.
The company cited "repeated breaches of contract", "misleading statements on social platforms", and actions causing payment delays for commissions to fan creators.
In subsequent statements (as independent VTuber Dokibird), she stated that she had been hospitalized in December 2023 as a result of "bullying from within", and she had been in a "toxic and poor environment for numerous months that led to my breaking point".
[55][24] In September 2024, VTuber Ironmouse hit over 320,000 active paid subscribers on Twitch, surpassing the previous record holder, Kai Cenat.
In a news conference in Tokyo, the head of Wright Flyer Live Entertainment stated, "just increasing the number [of VTubers] is not that effective.
[38] On June 24, 2019, VTuber Kaguya Luna, in collaboration with Nissin Foods to advertise its Yakisoba UFO noodles, held a live stream with a smartphone attached to a helium balloon.
[68] Good Smile Company has begun producing nendoroids of Kizuna Ai in 2018, with a full push for various Japanese and international VTuber PVC-made statues since the 2020s.
[72][41] In 2021, Hololive English member Gawr Gura made a cameo appearance in an anime-themed ad by American fast food chain Taco Bell (which premiered to coincide with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo).
