VTuber agency Tsunderia has ceased all of its streaming operations as of Wednesday, Jan. 25. The dissolution of the VTubing group will cause its six remaining talents to hit the free agency market as early as February.
The California-based agency was one of the early pioneers in the western VTuber scene. Tsunderia was the first group with a focus on English speaking talents, first diving into the scene back in June 2020. The forerunner agency actually predates even Hololive’s English branch by almost three months.
“Unfortunately, we no longer have the resources to continue our operations. Our three year anniversary was only five months away, and words cannot adequately express my disappointment that we will not be able to reach that milestone,” shared Tsunderia’s spokesperson PPP in an official statement.
The agency confirmed its remaining VTubers would go independent, keeping their current identities and channels. Their Discord, TsunDream, will also remain open for fans to support the talents moving forward.
“As always, please be respectful to our VTubers, current and former, and refrain from speculation in their communities,” encouraged PPP in their address.
“While I’ll always be eternally grateful for all the opportunities I had during my time at Tsunderia, I had eventually been tasked with more than I was responsible with as a talent,” commented the now independent Chikafuji Lisa.
“It became difficult for me to withhold everything with consideration for my own personal matters and obligations, so consequently, I know it would be in my best interest to leave.”
In the week leading up to the Tsunderia’s folding, the agency let go of a few of its members. On Jan. 19, Tsunderia released two of its managing staff, Rei and Myst. The VTuber agency then departed with its most prominent remaining streaming talent, Inukai Purin, on Sunday, Jan. 22.
Not every now-released star has plans to land at another agency either. Purin shared in a follow up stream she has no intentions to join an org, claiming to be “surprisingly calm” with the situation at hand. She asked her fans not to worry.
“I want to stream, and have fun with everyone. That’s my goal. I’m very sure that I can still reach that goal as an independent VTuber,” said the dog-themed VTuber during her broadcast.
In April 2022, Tsunderia announced five of its VTubers would go independent. Three of the talents involved declined to have a formal send-off via a graduation stream.
Fans of Tsunderia did not expect the agency to fold, let alone for financial reasons. With many predicting turbulent times in the world’s economy on the horizon, Tsunderia’s closure should serve as a warning for similarly sized VTuber streaming orgs operating in the western VTuber space.
