Are Corporate VTubers The Future Of Gaming Advertising?

thegamer.com:

VTubing is a trend on YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming services where, instead of having a customary face cam, streamers show an animated character that is mapped to their movements. Some follow arm and head movements, but the most expensive models even map facial expressions and track the streamer’s mouth as they talk. Many VTubers use their avatars as a roleplaying exercise as well as a cosplay, answering to their avatar’s name and interacting with viewers in-character.

A cursory glance of Apex Legends streams on Twitch reveals a number of VTubers, including ‘ShibuyaHAL’ – who is signed to TSM as a content creator – and Scarz’ ALGS player Dan ‘rpr’ Ušić. Between them, they have nearly half a million followers on Twitch. Timmy 'iiTzTimmy' An, one of the most popular Apex streamers, is donning a custom Pathfinder avatar and VTubing the launch of Apex Legends' Gaiden event, which is inspired by anime. Apex Legends and VTubing go hand in hand.

Related: Inside The Burger Brigade: Apex Legends Esports’ Rowdiest Fanbase

I first envisaged the idea of a corporate VTuber during Lifeline’s Tales from the Outlands trailer, which explored her backstory in the Frontier Wars as she tried to help wounded soldiers, despite her parents’ continued funding of the war. As her Lifeline’s best friend, Octane plays a large part in the animated short, and the selfie-obsessed speedster livestreams her parents’ potential war crimes to shed some light on the unethical treatment of wounded soldiers. Octane would mate a great streamer, I thought. Why hasn’t someone made this happen yet? Then, Apex Legends released three official VTubing avatar models.

I should explain what I mean by the concept of a ‘corporate VTuber’. I’m talking about the