Popular VTuber caught up in Hogwarts Legacy controversy is retiring

pcgamer.com:

Popular VTuber Amano Pikamee announced her retirement(opens in new tab) a few weeks after sparking controversy for planning to stream Hogwarts Legacy.

The founder of the company that owns Pikamee's 2D likeness (like J-Pop idols, some VTubers are strictly managed by talent agencies(opens in new tab)), GYARI, said on a stream today(opens in new tab) (translated by a viewer) that they discussed her retirement for «a long time.» And Pomu Rainpuff, another VTuber and friend of Pikamee, said she learned of her plans(opens in new tab) to retire before she went on break in mid-January, before Hogwarts Legacy's release.

Despite this confirmation that Pikamee wanted to graduate before she announced her plans to stream Hogwarts Legacy on February 6, many VTuber fans still believe the supposed harassment she received was what prompted her decision.

Streaming the game is seen by some as an endorsement of Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's many transphobic remarks over the years(opens in new tab). Streamers like Girlfriend Reviews and VTuber Silvervale have all reportedly received harassment for playing the game, while others, like Hasan Piker, refused to stream it altogether to avoid criticism.

Pikamee deleted all her tweets about the game, but screenshots(opens in new tab) of them are still available. In one now-deleted tweet(opens in new tab), she said, «Playing this game doesn't mean I'm supporting something specific. I just want to play the game, that's all.»

Important Notice pic.twitter.com/oASH3igb6kMarch 1, 2023

The severity of the harassment Pikamee received is almost impossible to verify. As with other streamers who reportedly received harassment for playing the game, it's hard to know if it was a coordinated effort or part