Even XBox is onto Vtubers as well. Resistance is futile.
From what I recall a number of smaller Japanese publishers had their own VTubers including IFFY (or was it complile heart?), I'm not sure what happened to them.
As I said before MS very likely could make a much greater use out of VTubers than Sony probably ever could
(or even Nintendo for that fact, I guess that Nintendo could make some "VTubers" since they unlike Sony have active personalities that talk about games and such, in North America they have Nintendo Minute and the in Japan they have those two dude.
Or actually is PS Underground an official Sony thing? If so then never mind and they act similar to Nintendo Minute. I remember that before during the PSP era, I think Sony would post videos to PSN with this one girl talking about stuff, I guess they got rid of it since that format just was not that popular.
Going back to MS, well they at least mentioned something about Holo Live English on their main twitter, outside of the PS5 Japan thing that may be the only thing so far that Sony has done with VTubers? Or have they done some bigger stuff in the past?
VTubers play a number of different games and while they do play AAA Japanese and western games I don't think that's what some of the most popular ones do, but rather they play multiplayer focused games.
Okay so here is a thought MS just add Japanese support to your games. I don't think that a lot of the more popular VTubers are that well versed in English, they may know some words and stuff but I'm not sure they would be able to follow along with game instructions and stuff that are only in English.
Just think of it, Sea of thieves could have helped Xbox in Japan, hell get a One Piece collaboration going. The VTubers typically play on PC but also play on consoles as well but PC mainly seems to be their thing.
I don't think any of the Japanese VTubers have been playing Among Us despite how insanely popular the game is, hell it's a phone game!!!!!!!!!! I know that mobile in King in Japan and mobage and all of that is popular there with Waifus and Husbandos but if the game had Japanese support maybe more people would play it there? The Japanese new site that I follow talked about playing the game and it not having Japanese support and when choosing a language he choose English and when trying to talk to people he had issues and well got kicked out more or less because of that (eliminated). So that would keep Japanese players that don't feel to confident about their English from playing the game.
Now look at Fall Guys that's was also very popular in Japan it had native Japanese support, Sony gave it away as part of PS+ and you saw a lot of people talking about it there.
Look at helltaker it was released without Japanese support, it got a fan translation and became popular and got a lot of fan art.
VTubers and fan art MS that's how your going to get those Xbox numbers up in Japan. There is a lot more to it but ya they could make great use of that.
So Sea of Thieves, MSFS, and grounded don't have Japanese support and all of those will be playable on the new Xbox and are a part of Gamepass, a missed opportunity MS. Since Japan doesn't even get to play some of the first party titles.
Am I just crazy for thinking this?
I mean you have seen what streamers and all of that have done for Steam and all the unusual Indies that are on that regular main stream publications would not really talk to much about.