Top Vtuber Ditches Her Talent Agency Over ‘owed’ $500k Charity Donation

On July 21st, 6,669-year-old demon queen Ironmouse,  posted an 11-minute video explaining that she is leaving her talent guidance agency, VShojo. Ironmouse is simply a VTuber, aliases “virtual YouTuber” — a type of a streamer who doesn’t typically show their quality face, alternatively creating elaborate integer personas to create content.

“I precocious recovered retired that for nan past mates of months, I person been misled by VShojo,” she said, breathily, successful her video. “I judge that I americium owed a important magnitude of costs which I person not been paid.”

With her pinkish hair, purple eyes, and horns, Ironmouse is 1 of Twitch’s biggest streamers. She presently has complete 2.3 cardinal followers connected Twitch, and 1.3 cardinal subscribers connected YouTube. In 2023, she won a Game Award for contented creator of nan year. A twelvemonth later, she would concisely overtake Kai Cenat arsenic nan astir subscribed to Twitch streamer pinch complete 300,000 subs. Her VTuber colleagues astatine VShojo person follower counts successful nan hundreds of thousands crossed Twitch and YouTube. Now, successful nan aftermath of Ironmouse’s video, astir of them person besides discontinue nan company, pinch immoderate of them alleging unpaid wages. 

According to Ironmouse, her problem pinch VShojo started pinch nan conclusion of her 2024 subscription marathon connected Twitch. During nan event, Ironmouse raised complete $500,000 for nan Immune Deficiency Foundation, a origin she explained was important to her arsenic she — nan existent personification down nan Ironmouse persona — suffers from communal adaptable immunodeficiency aliases CVID. 

The Verge has reached retired to VShojo, Ironmouse, and nan Immune Deficiency Foundation for comment.

Shouting it from nan rooftops!!!! Oh my Mousey, she did it. Congrats to @ironmouse for hitting nan all-time sub count grounds and sharing nan emotion and consciousness to nan @IDFCommunity. She really is THE Demon Queen!!!!! 💜 pic.twitter.com/9cXYiNKVQm

— Twitch (@Twitch) September 30, 2024

“Because nan money came from my Twitch revenue,” Ironmouse said successful her video, “It required VShojo to make nan aid connected my behalf.” She claims this has not been done and that’s why she’s decided to time off VShojo:

“And astir importantly, nan point that hurts maine nan astir is that nan Immune Deficiency Foundation, which is nan astir important kindness to maine and besides nan logic why I’m present today, is owed complete half a cardinal dollars from Vshojo. […] I really want to show you everything, but unluckily correct now I person been instructed by my lawyer to hold for much of nan ineligible process to unfold. So 1 time I will beryllium capable to show you nan afloat story. But for now, I conscionable request to fto you cognize that I will nary longer beryllium a portion of VShojo.“

“As of correct now, I americium an independent VTuber,” she said. 

While a creator leaving a talent agency is thing new, particularly successful nan world of VTubers, nan scope and standard of this departure has had a superior effect connected some VShojo and nan wider VTuber community. In nan hours aft Ironmouse released her video, 12 of nan 13 VTubers listed connected VShojo’s website person officially announced they are leaving nan company. 

On July 22nd, Kson, a yakuza-themed VTuber pinch 1.3 cardinal followers connected YouTube, did a livestream successful which she announced she excessively would beryllium leaving nan company, besides alleging unpaid funds. 

“And nan logic why is because VShojo hasn’t paid a important magnitude of money to me,” she said. 

Most of nan different members of VShojo, who said they were leaving connected their livestreams and societal media, would not springiness definitive reasons why, suggesting they aren’t capable to owed to ineligible reasons. Nearly each of them expressed heartbreak related to their departure and daze astatine Ironmouse’s treatment.

“Yes, I’m leaving VShojo,” wrote Projekt Melody connected X. “[I] put my everything into this comp[any]. But I’m beyond devastated astatine what happened and I ne'er successful a cardinal years thought I’d beryllium saying these words.”

When VShojo was founded successful 2020, it positioned itself arsenic ”talent first” arsenic a measurement to differentiate itself from different companies that had reputations for treating talent poorly. This attracted celebrated VTuber talent and immense numbers of fans.

VTubers run likewise to Twitch streamers but tin person other expectations and constraints group upon them if they are corporately sponsored by talent agencies. To understand VTubers, it’s champion to deliberation of them arsenic integer Japanese popular idols. Almost each facet of a firm VTuber — their sponsorships, societal media accounts, finances, name, and much — is owned and controlled by their agency. In astir circumstances, if a VTuber decides to spell independent, they person to time off each facet of their persona down including each nan channels attached to that persona and commencement complete from scratch. VShojo stood retired arsenic a institution because its clients were not beholden to those terms.

“I’m really shocked,” said Biggles, an creator and independent Vtuber who told The Verge she’s been a instrumentality of VShojo talent since nan company’s beginning. “VShojo was a dream for many.” 

Ironmouse’s dream for nan Immune Deficiency Foundation lives connected however. After posting her announcement video arsenic her accustomed persona, she initiated a aid thrust to switch nan allegedly unpaid funds. Through her community, her erstwhile Vshojo colleagues, and their communities, they’ve raised almost $1 million.