GTA 5 and Minecraft YouTuber Kwebbelkop has chosen a completely new direction for his channel. He willingly gives up 15 million subscribers to replace himself with an automated VTuber.
What is a VTuber? The name stands for “Virtual YouTuber“, represented by motion capture recordings or animation techniques. Often, these VTubers are backed by companies, but less commonly by individual artists. Instead of watching a human, the viewer sees a digital figure playing, reacting, or chatting.
15 million subscribers: Why is Kwebbelkop giving it up?
The YouTuber Kwebbelkop, who has gained about 15 million subscribers on YouTube through vlogging, gaming content, and reactions, wants to quit. After over 10 years of daily video uploads, the 26-year-old wants to retire from YouTube.
Since April 2021, he has been uploading videos under the pseudonyms Bloo and Jam (via youtube.com). More specifically, both channels are not run by Kwebbelkop but by the eponymous VTubers Bloo and Jam, whose video production is handled by a whole team.
Jordi Maxim “Kwebbelkop” van den Bussche has surprised his fans with another change of direction: On December 18, he announced that he wants to completely end his personal YouTube career and replace himself on the main channel with a VTuber.
These are Kwebbelkop’s next steps: The YouTuber’s channel will not be closed, he promises his fans. Only the host of the channel is changing. Van den Bussche is stepping back and leaving the digital field to a VTuber, in whose development he invested large sums:
I have now invested several million euros of my own money and can now happily introduce the next generation of influencers: the VTuber!
Fans had many questions for the successful YouTuber. Among other things, they wanted to know how this could be technically implemented or what the advantages of VTubers are:
- The voice comes from an AI generator that can perfectly transform any voice into another.
- VTubers cannot leave the company or die.
- The artificial entertainers can record their videos in many languages.
- The profit is infinitely scalable.
Kwebbelkop says, however, that he will not withdraw immediately. He is waiting for the day when his second channel Bloo earns enough for him to lean back. He is already generating about 70% of the required income through Bloo alone. So, Kwebbelkop’s fans still have a few weeks or months to get used to the idea of a virtual Kwebbelkop.
