Weekly NewsDrop #47—August 21, 2023

The biggest story of the past few days involves a brand VTuber: GX Aura, the VTuber representing the Opera GX browser, has successfully debuted to a whopping 73,000 viewers on Twitch.

But since GX Aura is a VTuber representing a browser, and she was promoted in the GX Corner page (which is only accessible through the said browser), people are wondering if this integration on that start page boosted her numbers.

Aura's talent manager Quik explained the cross-promotion in a post on X (Twitter):

• Midnight of August 19: Countdown banner was added to the GX Corner.
• One hour before debut stream: Twitch embed with chat replaced the banner.
• This kind of integration will be the only one embedded in the start page, as their only goal is to show her debut to as many people as they could.

Another question popped out: If you embed a stream, does it count as a view? Twitch answers:

[...] Any time someone watches live video they’ll be counted as a viewer, whether or not they have a Twitch account or are signed in. Once they stop watching the live video, that number will go down. When a viewer stops watching live video, it can take up to a few minutes for the Viewer Count to reflect this. [emphasis ours]

We installed Opera GX to see what's changed after her debut stream: At the moment, it now shows her lore video (YouTube) embedded in the page—that won't count as a view unless we press play.

Still, even with this discussion at hand, GX Aura had a successful first run, and we congratulate her on the debut.

Aura definitely won't be the last VTuber to represent a brand, but what we saw today is a glimpse of something we need to check furhter in the future. —Jay

Meanwhile, we have seen two new companies in Japan venturing into the VTuber space: TV Yamanashi’s Yamana Shizuku and NTT Data’s Nayose Reala. —Ted

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In Other News

• Another day, another L moment. X, formerly Twitter, has announced plans to remove the block feature on the platform, causing massive outrage amongst users. Current CEO Linda Yaccarino has assured users that they are “currently working” on a much better feature.
• Streaming reporter Zach Bussey has reported that several hacked Twitch partner accounts have been posting malicious links that may compromise an account.
• Have you ever seen that cute little anime girl edit lately on a uniform? Turns out it came from a recently-graduated VTuber, who has said that she doesn’t permit the use of her clips without proper credit.
• A certain VTuber’s satire post about “collaboration rates” has gone viral–all for the wrong reasons. Many VTubers and fans have criticized it–both in the sense of someone charging for a stream collaboration and in the sense of the satire being made.
• Idol Corp CEO Aviel Basin has disclosed to the public its breakdown of revenue split with its talents, showing the agency’s transparency on contracts. The agency invites industry colleagues to "be more transparent about their offers, and to allow all talents to make informed decisions in regards to their futures."
• Professional motion capture solutions Movella has launched Obskur, a new platform dedicated to virtual streamers and VTubers with body-tracking technology, powered by Unreal Engine 5.
• In debut news, we have Sedai One’s Enya Yoruneko, AuroraLiveVR’s Mion Akuma, and Project Orbit’s Yufi Mago (now Elfie vers Amastacia) and Taka Kazuki.
• After more than seven months, indie VTuber Sellena has officially returned, back from her prolonged hiatus.
• A series of updates regarding group departures: Suiika from PuppetWorks, Tessa from Hero Factory; VIVI from Yorukaze Productions; and Roy Chiato and Artsy from VTRainbow.
• 3D debuts: Hololive’s IRyS, Nijisanji’s Hyakumantenbara Salome, and AKA Virtual’s Gema Gathika.
• Another well-known personality has joined the VTuber rabbit hole, this time it’s none other than Hideo Kojima himself, who is watching hololive’s Usada Pekora.

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Banner Photo: GX Aura on X