New Twitch Rules Require VTubers to Dress Conservatively, Sparking Outrage

VTubers are facing new regulations from Twitch that mandate their avatars to be fully covered, sparking a wave of discontent among the community.

In recent years, VTubing has gained significant traction. Some creators are fully committed to the VTuber persona, opting to conceal their real identities behind animated avatars, while others blend their digital characters with their actual appearances.

This trend has brought substantial success to many VTubers, with Ironmouse setting a Twitch subscription record back in September. However, this growing fame comes with heightened expectations for performance.

Creating new avatars can be prohibitively costly, and Twitch’s recent rule change, announced on October 7, expands the requirements to mandate that VTubers fully cover their models, including the hip area.

The change was implemented as part of Twitch’s new Enforcement Notes, and it has not been well-received within the VTuber community.

“Many VTubers, myself included, do not have our models completely covered,” tweeted LeahKitties. “Commissioning new outfits to comply with constantly changing guidelines is both expensive and time-intensive. Please be mindful of this updated rule!”

Twitch has now confirmed that vtuber hips MUST be covered. I can think of many vtubers who don’t have theirs fully covered, me included. The issue is commissioning new outfits to meet ever changing guidelines is expensive and time consuming. Be aware of this clarified rule! pic.twitter.com/A27EoGNfsA

— 🦋 Leahkitties 🦋 (@leahkitties) October 7, 2024

Other VTubers, such as elixria, voiced their concerns directly to Twitch, questioning, “If you’re implementing attire changes, shouldn’t it apply to all streamers, not just VTubers?”

Another comment on Twitter sarcastically suggested, “Is Twitch actively trying to drive all VTubers to YouTube? Because they seem to be on the right track.”

Is Twitch actively trying to make every vtuber migrate to YouTube? Because if that’s the case, they’re doing a really good job. -👺 https://t.co/SaBWhLBwlT

— Screenshots from /vt/ 6: Return of the RRAT (@vt_takes3) October 7, 2024

Commenters reacted humorously to Twitch’s explanation, with one saying, “‘In the same way it applies to other streamers’—now that’s comedy! I didn’t realize Twitch was a stand-up venue.” Another added, “Twitch clearly has an issue with VTubers, and this just underscores that.”

There was also a suggestion for a workaround: “It might be time for every VTuber to invest in a 3D model for streaming under the guise of it being a VRChat model, LOL.”

Twitch has indicated that additional content will not be penalized as long as the channel follows specific guidelines, dependent on the streaming category.

It remains to be seen whether Twitch will modify these rules in response to the outcry.

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