Tokyo, Japan -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/04/2018 --With the popularity of "V"-Tubers all over the world, Neo Motion Entertainment is now introducing a digital competition that will pit eight of these "virtual" broadcast and entertainment personalities against each other in an online campaign known as "Virtual Idol", inviting audiences from all over the world to vote for and actively engage in selecting the top "Idol", as well as her characteristics and personality traits.
These 2D and 3D CGI animation personalities have exploded on YouTube, now making their way into the mainstream broadcast and television industries, events and concerts. Those who love Japanese anime and culture will already be familiar with these anime and manga-style "V"-Tubers but this is the first event that will introduce these eight distinct personalities to a global audience through simultaneous campaigns run on Kickstarter and Makuake, a Japan-based crowdfunding platform.
The goals of the campaign are directly tied to the voting process. A set of eight virtual reality personalities or V-Tubers, are showcased and the show is broadcast to viewers across the world using YouTube. These live events are "auditions" for the personalities and will be broadcast in both Japanese and English. Each character has its own voting point "cost" and the final audition will be held through the dedicated mobile app. Voters will also be polled and surveyed about the rest of the personality traits and even voice and speech of the chosen "Idol". Once the campaign has been fully-funded, a maximum of three CGI characters, from the eight initial contestants, will come alive through animation and 3D modeling by engineers and animators at New Motion Entertainment.
The proceeds of this project will be allocated in the following way: 10-20% will be used for capital investments, 20-30% funneled towards advertisements and the remaining 50-60% for fixed costs such as personnel, filming and illustration design. Currently, the campaign has two backers for its goal of 30 million yen, which is about $250,000 USD. The reward levels are attractive, giving backers the chance to not only participate in the voting in an ongoing basis but actually impact the evolution of the V-Tuber's personality as she evolves to connect with tourism and event opportunities in the real world.
Besides this, campaign rewards aim to give backers a set of tangible "perks": Those at the highest voting tier of ¥100,000 or more are eligible for 200 voting points, face-to-face live streaming with the chosen Idol, and a premium member's card (which makes them eligible to view member-only videos and broadcasts). Those at the ¥60,000 might not get as many voting points but will get an assortment of tchotchkes, including a smartphone case, body pillow, mousepad, fidget spinner, charger, character T-shirt, and much more. There are eight levels of pledging in all.
The "virtual" YouTuber industry is still quite niche and remains an underdeveloped opportunity, says the team of four at Neo Motion Entertainment. Creators Fumihide Morii, Masaaki Hirakawa, Charles Lee and Hironori Tsujii see this creative project as a very natural step, both for the company and the entertainment and digital spheres in general.