Amelia Watson Ceases Activity From Hololive

[The Chink]

From what I'm hearing, and tell me if I'm wrong:

It sounds like Ame has come to the end of the road as far as her interest as being Ame goes for now. Part of it is due to the fact that she has more things she wishes to get done outside of being Ame, but she doesn't necessarily want to drop Ame if she can come back down the line. She also goes into how she wants to try something new, and she needs motivation to keep trying new things, and I guess where she is right now at COVER has kind of left her stumped. I wouldn't be surprised if part of it is due to her living with family (and therefore not being able to have a consistent schedule at all) but it may also be because she wants to either do something with Sachi that she couldn't do as Ame due to COVER's new rules, or because she wants to something beyond vtubing as a whole, like film or theater or continue her education.

Obviously, as a teamate (forever) I will hold out hope that she may wish to fully return as Ame one day. But evidently the current COVER isn't really for her, what with the concerts and projects they want, and shutting down what she wants to do. So I'm fully in support of wherever she goes in the future.

MINOR EDIT: She said she was even thinking of going back on the announcement up until she made it, but the "ball is already rolling" on plans for the other thing, and she "can't exactly stop it now". So it may really be something like a college degree.

Something I haven't seen anybody mention is that, coinciding with her announcement of becoming an affiliate, she also updated her Sachi account on twitter again. I dunno if anything will come of it, but it seems to imply that there really may be something she'll be doing as an indie.

Me fellow teamate, your words really resembles what I have thought even better than myself LOL. So I kind of feel relieved today while watching the stream today (still cry a lot Q_Q)

Spoiler

However for the roommate twitter thing, I believe she changes her profile once in a while though, so might be unrelated.

 

[RiverBear]

I'm sorry for writing so much bait in here riverbear became the voice of reason

To be fair, I ran out of bait by yesterday

There only so much "Kiara should have graduated instead" I post before people catch on

 

[God's Strongest Dragoon]

I'm sorry for writing so much bait in here riverbear became the voice of reason

Don't worry, I'll do the same when the thread gets made about your oshi dying of a heart attack for being so fat.

 

[Banana Hammock]

I fully subscribe to the idea that Watson leaving was severely going to fuck up Cover's IP plans (especially with the new card game, anime project i.e. HoloWitches, HoloEarth and what now) and her soft graduating is just a means for Cover to keep the IP while she is free to go do as she pleases

Not sure how I think about this route in the near future (this kinda harkens to Niji's multiple year "breaks" and still selling Merch of characters while they are no longer active) but I also kind of feel like it solves the issue of VTuber character IP/Merch always having been dependent on whether or not the character is still in your employment

At the end of the day, if it benefits both parties (Cover keeps the IP for use in outside projects while the talent is able to come back for events) I wouldnt be mad but only time will tell

I mean, she said in the stream that she was the one who brought up the idea of a soft graduation, with the ability to come back for events and the possibility of un-graduating. Apparently it was something that Cover was already considering, so they decided to test it out with her.

 

[El Rrata]

I fully subscribe to the idea that Watson leaving was severely going to fuck up Cover's IP plans (especially with the new card game, anime project i.e. HoloWitches, HoloEarth and what now) and her soft graduating is just a means for Cover to keep the IP while she is free to go do as she pleases

Not sure how I think about this route in the near future (this kinda harkens to Niji's multiple year "breaks" and still selling Merch of characters while they are no longer active) but I also kind of feel like it solves the issue of VTuber character IP/Merch always having been dependent on whether or not the character is still in your employment

At the end of the day, if it benefits both parties (Cover keeps the IP for use in outside projects while the talent is able to come back for events) I wouldnt be mad but only time will tell

They still released shit with Coco and Rushia (Weiss Schwarz) in it well into 2022 with the English version of the first set of cards. The Japanese first set of cards was released 3 months after Coco quit. The Sana plushies were sold a whole year after she graduated and they even had a resale of everyone's but hers. Sana's Omocat merch is also still on-sale. They already said they are leaving Ame's merch on the shop, including her regular merch, which is always available and restocked, as well.

They also never said she couldn't get new merch, just that her old shit wouldn't be pulled like a normal graduation would. Having to cut residual checks probably isn't that big of a deal to them when it isn't a fired employee, anyway. I think we really can't think of this as a graduation, because it is definitely something different.

The only proper graduation we can really compare her to is Aqua, since the rest happened so long ago. I feel like Aqua would be much more of an IP headache than Ame. She had a fullly voice visual novel and a sequel in the works, after all. I genuinely think this happened because both sides wanted to try it. Cover clearly tries to keep talents around as much as they can. Coco and Sana both have open invitations to return, technically, though they never would. This is like meeting half way for Ame, where she does think it is possible she would actually come back, but has things she wants to do first.

 

[Negzana]

I think Ame is willing to test it out because she doesn't seem like she just wants to coast by on Hololive like Gura. Gura's more comfortable with 2 weeks of streaming as a quota for the quarter than outright soft graduating. Ame seems to outright want to do other things as a person without fully closign the door as Ame.

 

[Nenélove]

Don't worry, I'll do the same when the thread gets made about your oshi dying of a heart attack for being so fat.

Porka...

I mean, she said in the stream that she was the one who brought up the idea of a soft graduation, with the ability to come back for events and the possibility of un-graduating. Apparently it was something that Cover was already considering, so they decided to test it out with her.

Ame might've just opened pandora's fucking box on this industry, but I can't say until we witness the full extent of what this means for Cover and whichever other corpos decide to copypaste the concept.

 

[El Rrata]

Ame might've just opened pandora's fucking box on this industry, but I can't say until we witness the full extent of what this means for Cover and whichever other corpos decide to copypaste the concept.

Honestly, it is kinda strange it didn't happen sooner. Trading IPs like Coco wants is retarded, but this is a lot more reasonable of a thing to attempt and not all that crazy.

 

[Nenélove]

Honestly, it is kinda strange it didn't happen sooner. Trading IPs like Coco wants is retarded, but this is a lot more reasonable of a thing to attempt and not all that crazy.

Yeah. It's a way for corpos and talents to kinda... sorta... nudge the whole graduation concept aside a bit but still not completely overturn it, which could be very dangerous but it could also just be a nothingburger. I can think of many CEOs who are watching Cover like hawks atm just to figure out what this means for the industry, probably downing whole jugs of coffee because the industry juggernaut is toying around recklessly again.

 

[Negzana]

As I understand, talents in Hololive kind of follow either of these contracts

-Standard Contract: Stream a certain amount of times a month, attend all major events, attend voice packs when requested
-Gura/LazyGen2 Contract: Stream quota for the quarter, opening for long hiatus that cross over quarters to even a chunk of the year, still expected for the most major events
-Suisei's Contract: Always was unique given the fact that she created the character so it's unknown how much of the IP of Suisei she actually is allowed to keep, but the main new thing is she is officially not a streamer and will now only stream to tie into a major event or as a life update. Her career is mostly focused on music now.
-Ame's Contract: A more complete and de jure version nof the Gura/LazyGen2 and Suisei Contract. Effectively a soft graduation but with the talent not fully retired, only called in for major events, otherwise they are effectively treated as a graduated talent for most of the year

 

[El Rrata]

I can think of many CEOs who are watching Cover like hawks atm just to figure out what this means for the industry, probably downing whole jugs of coffee because the industry juggernaut is toying around recklessly again.

Lets be honest, most of those companies would be dead in a year or bought by Brave by then, anyway.

 

[Saturnus]

Ame might've just opened pandora's fucking box on this industry

She's opened many of them. She's kind of a trend setter if you think about it.

 

[Negzana]

I don't get how this soft graduation would shake up the industry that much. I legitimately don't think Shion/Gura would do it as they're content with the bare minimum style they do now for example. This seems moreso a good choice if one of the talents (And not as a joke) is married and expecting a pregnancy if anything. Otherwise the Gura style works good enough.

 

[Poyoyo & Jill]

I think Ame is willing to test it out because she doesn't seem like she just wants to coast by on Hololive like Gura. Gura's more comfortable with 2 weeks of streaming as a quota for the quarter than outright soft graduating. Ame seems to outright want to do other things as a person without fully closign the door as Ame.

As I understand, talents in Hololive kind of follow either of these contracts

-Standard Contract: Stream a certain amount of times a month, attend all major events, attend voice packs when requested
-Gura/LazyGen2 Contract: Stream quota for the quarter, opening for long hiatus that cross over quarters to even a chunk of the year, still expected for the most major events
-Suisei's Contract: Always was unique given the fact that she created the character so it's unknown how much of the IP of Suisei she actually is allowed to keep, but the main new thing is she is officially not a streamer and will now only stream to tie into a major event or as a life update. Her career is mostly focused on music now.
-Ame's Contract: A more complete and de jure version nof the Gura/LazyGen2 and Suisei Contract. Effectively a soft graduation but with the talent not fully retired, only called in for major events, otherwise they are effectively treated as a graduated talent for most of the year

I don't get how this soft graduation would shake up the industry that much. I legitimately don't think Shion/Gura would do it as they're content with the bare minimum style they do now for example. This seems moreso a good choice if one of the talents (And not as a joke) is married and expecting a pregnancy if anything. Otherwise the Gura style works good enough.

3 posts in the same fucking page
I really dont know what will happen if Kaela graduates
You will fill her thread with thousands of pages of your posts alone ?

 

[Nenélove]

3 posts in the same fucking page
I really dont know what will happen if Kaela graduates
You will fill her thread with thousands of pages of your posts alone ?

Please excuse him, he's a SEAmonkey.

 

[RiverBear]

Honestly, it is kinda strange it didn't happen sooner. Trading IPs like Coco wants is retarded, but this is a lot more reasonable of a thing to attempt and not all that crazy.

It wont work for people who want to plan on striking it rich somewhere else (Coco and Aqua)

and to be fair, I do think the Coco Chink situation didnt help either

 

[PleaseCheckYourReceipts]

I think the contract that Ame got with Cover works best for talents who want to be part of Hololive but soft retire. Gives them more leway.

Kaela will stay until cover falls or her mutant genes give out

A couple of Holomems will out live Youtube, Cover and a good chunk of their audience. Though I do feel Lower Demand contracts will be really common with a lot of the JP girls as they reach years 4 and beyond. We're getting the period where some of them have been at this a very long time.

I mean, she said in the stream that she was the one who brought up the idea of a soft graduation, with the ability to come back for events and the possibility of un-graduating. Apparently it was something that Cover was already considering, so they decided to test it out with her.

They should have been thinking about this years ago, but it's not really come up as something that made sense. Minus the fact Haachama & Shion have both semi-retired for long time frames.

They still released shit with Coco and Rushia (Weiss Schwarz) in it well into 2022 with the English version of the first set of cards. The Japanese first set of cards was released 3 months after Coco quit. The Sana plushies were sold a whole year after she graduated and they even had a resale of everyone's but hers. Sana's Omocat merch is also still on-sale. They already said they are leaving Ame's merch on the shop, including her regular merch, which is always available and restocked, as well.

They also never said she couldn't get new merch, just that her old shit wouldn't be pulled like a normal graduation would. Having to cut residual checks probably isn't that big of a deal to them when it isn't a fired employee, anyway. I think we really can't think of this as a graduation, because it is definitely something different.

The only proper graduation we can really compare her to is Aqua, since the rest happened so long ago. I feel like Aqua would be much more of an IP headache than Ame. She had a fullly voice visual novel and a sequel in the works, after all. I genuinely think this happened because both sides wanted to try it. Cover clearly tries to keep talents around as much as they can. Coco and Sana both have open invitations to return, technically, though they never would. This is like meeting half way for Ame, where she does think it is possible she would actually come back, but has things she wants to do first.

We also tie Ending Streaming with Ending the IP. Versions of the "open door" policy exist in a lot of media for per-contract appearances. With a Vtuber, it is stranger, as eventually the design will be out of line with the rest of a generation, but that'll also give it a comforting feeling pretty quickly. I don't think the contract is that complicated, as it's basically just the sustainable parts of a Music contract. (Those are for either primarily Time or Album releases, then residuals are part of legal requirements.)

I really think this should have happened a while ago and this is probably the template a couple of JP members will be interested in. Aqua seemed to be done with being Aqua; Coco couldn't get over her own feelings about everything that happened and likely couldn't sustain the energy that came with where she took the character; Ame isn't burned out about being Ame so much as the "Job of a Streamer". Thus, it depends where the streamer ends up.

The real contract nightmares are Suisei and Mori. It's thought that Suisei contracts her character with Cover, correct? Given her other work, it's already more complex. As for Calli, I think the character is contracted with UMG? If anything happens with Cover, that'd be a nightmare for Karen to unwind. Which would somehow only be fitting for her. Nothing ever seems to quite go right or easy.

Somewhere in this, it probably should be noted Ame is likely going to make ~$250k USD in the next 2 weeks. She'll have plenty of options for whatever she's up to next. But I also feel like she's the exact gremlin to on October 1st randomly drop on someone that's streaming, just because it'd be hilarious.

Honestly, it is kinda strange it didn't happen sooner. Trading IPs like Coco wants is retarded, but this is a lot more reasonable of a thing to attempt and not all that crazy.

Trading wouldn't have worked, but this is something that probably should have happened sooner. However, the nature of Cover's retirements/terminations haven't really lined up with it yet. It also makes a tad more sense from the Western Media Consumer perspective, given the way a lot of ongoing media operates. Things like nearly a century of running Soap Operas or Comic Books are within the culture whereas in Japan "1 and done" is far more common of an approach. Sentai team members don't normally come back.

 

[USS IOWA]

I kinda hope this kind of retirement will be the default for most corpos. Let the talent leave but the IP will live and have the talent come back for some cameos on events and concerts.

 

[agility_]

Someone brought up Ame, kson says "she respects her decision, if it is her decision".

 

[Sankisei]

View attachment 78815

Someone brought up Ame, kson says "she respects her decision, if it is her decision".