TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and Google’s next futuristic tool—a life-size “3D video conferencing booth”—could be a game-changer for virtual meetings. Or it could just make them really, really weird.

Today’s News

ROLLING INTO THEATERS

Critical Role is the latest creator act to hit the big screen

The trend: In recent years, social media has ignited young viewers’ interest in the cinema. Movie theaters are (unsurprisingly) eager to make the most of that trend—and to do so, they’ve started bringing Gen Z’s favorite creators to big screens. Each year during spooky season, for instance, ghost hunters Sam and Colby partner with Cinemark to give fans a movie theater experience. In 2024, that run reached 350 theaters.

Now, another YouTube sensation is headed to the big screen thanks to a deal with Fathom Entertainment.

Critical Role—a streaming show that follows professional voice actors as they undertake role-playing games—is hitting theaters across the U.S. and Canada. The group’s live-streamed D&D sessions are already a big hit on Twitch, where Critical Role has a lifetime follower count of 1.41 million and a peak of 210,000 concurrent viewers (per Streams Charts). The cast has plenty of experience with live events, too—but this deal is described as their largest theatrical run yet.

The theatrical run: Fathom aims to capitalize on Critical Role’s popularity with theatrical rebroadcasts of four live shows. The group is currently on a worldwide tour celebrating Critical Role’s tenth anniversary, and upcoming shows in Sydney (June 19), Melbourne (June 25), Indianapolis (August 2), and New York (October 7) will all get the movie theater treatment. Fathom plans to host its screenings shortly after the corresponding live shows conclude. According to Variety, that run will reach 800 theaters.

The success of a past Critical Role Kickstarter campaign suggests that those seats won’t be too hard to fill. When invited to support a short animated special in 2019, viewers pledged so much money that the special expanded to a feature one day after the campaign launched and ultimately raised $7.7 million.

🔆 PRESENTED BY GUSHCLOUD 🔆

From Party Promoter to Industry Leader: How Althea Lim Became CEO of Gushcloud International

As a global creator, IP management and licensing company, Gushcloud isn’t just revolutionizing brand/creator partnerships. It’s revolutionizing how creators will live in 10, 20, and even 60 years. 

CEO Althea Lim is at the forefront of it all—but before founding Gushcloud, Lim says she was “the largest party promoter in Singapore.”

At 19 years old, Lim developed a knack for bringing together the right people—especially among Singapore’s growing creator community. It wasn’t long before movers and shakers took notice, and Lim was soon connecting influencers with community leaders looking to leverage the power of social media. 

But it was a meeting with representatives from the world’s top talent agencies that ignited Lim’s dream for Gushcloud. She realized those leaders were overlooking the potential of Pacific Asian creators. 

So, Lim says, “We asked ourselves, could we go and cover the entirety of Asia Pacific as quickly as possible? The answer was yes.”

Gushcloud is now dedicated to providing long-term stability for both creators and investors across the world. While other agencies offer representation without a long-term vision, Lim “would like to think that this is my last job”—and she wants to make sure creators can do the same by securing resources like health insurance, home ownership, and retirement funds.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Shibuya is launching a namesake streaming service. Its differentiating feature: the self-described “crowdfunding storytelling platform” puts viewers in control of renewal decisions. (Tubefilter)

• Amid ongoing tension with the U.S. government, TikTok has reportedly hired advertising agency Pereira O’Dell to manage “global creative efforts.” (Ad Age)

• Netflix has announced an upcoming animated series based on social media-savvy mobile games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. (The Verge)
  
  

• According to recent stats from analyst firm Antenna, 46% of subscribers to Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Peacock are on ad-supported plans. (The Verge)

THE DARK SIDE

Fortnite remade Darth Vader’s voice with AI. SAG-AFTRA’s mad it didn’t call first.

The context: When the SAG-AFTRA strikes started in July 2023, it looked for a moment like the union might disavow any companies that used AI to replace actors—but that hard stance didn’t last. Over the last two years, SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating agreements that allow companies to use AI (even when it’s trained to make actors redundant). The union’s main sticking point: those companies need “informed consent” from all affected parties.

The complaint: According to an unfair labor practice complaint filed by SAG-AFTRA, Fortnite didn’t meet that condition when developing its latest in-game experience. In its newest update, the platform introduced an interactive Darth Vader that can respond to players’ questions with an AI voice made to replicate James Earl Jones‘.

Jones’ estate gave permission for his likeness to be used in training the dark side chatbot—but that’s not what SAG-AFTRA’s complaint is about. Instead, the union is saying that Fortnite developer Epic Games didn’t do enough when it got the Jones estate’s permission; it also needed to clear things with all the other actors who’ve played Vader. Without that clearance (and any accompanying compensation), SAG-AFTRA says Fortnite‘s AI voice is a no-go.

The future: So, what’s next? The complaint itself doesn’t specify exactly what SAG-AFTRA wants from Epic Games, so there are a few possibilities. The union could ask Epic to remove Vader from the game until an agreement is reached, or to pay a certain amount to it and affected actors. Either way, this case shows that SAG-AFTRA is keeping a close eye on the use of AI to replace actors—especially in situations where the union itself might lose out on compensation.

THE BIZ

VRChat is launching its own virtual avatar store

The company: After a tumultuous few months, VRChat is gearing up to make a comeback. The tech firm’s namesake virtual reality platform was one of the apps that enjoyed a breakout during the COVID-19 pandemic—but by June 2024, VRChat had laid off 30% of its workforce.

Nearly a year later, the platform has positioned itself as a virtual reality alternative to Roblox. VRChat recently took a page out of the metaverse giant’s book by introducing some branded experiences, with McDonald’s Japan serving as one of the first takers. Now, it’s introducing another Roblox-esque offering: the Avatar Marketplace.

The marketplace: VRChat’s newly-announced destination gives users a place to buy and sell custom-made avatars as well as other digital cosmetics. Vendors who wish to sell on the Marketplace must first enter VRChat’s Creator Economy program. The platform says it’s being “selective” about the sellers it admits, with “talented, experienced artists and developers” getting priority.

Sellers who receive VRChat’s seal of approval can upload their designs to the Avatar Marketplace and set a price. Buyers then pay via the on-platform currency known as VRChat Credits. (The exact revenue split from those purchases hasn’t been made public, but a VRChat blog post notes that creators pocket “the largest cut” of the earnings.)

As for buyers? The Avatar Marketplace’s patrons will likely include a lot of furries—a fandom that’s both huge on VRChat and reputed to include a number of big spenders. Will buyers from “the one furr cent” help VRChat improve its bottom line?

WATCH THIS 📺

Eurovision is rocking and rolling on YouTube

The big competition: The Eurovision Song Contest might not be a big deal stateside, but it’s become a major hit on YouTube thanks to millions of fans across the pond. The competition has long chosen YouTube as a distribution channel for its music videos, performances, and interviews. Because of that, the ESC typically receives a viewership bump when its yearly contest wraps up in May.

The stats: 2025 is no exception. The Eurovision hub attracted 360,000 new subscribers during the week of May 18, bringing its total sub count to over 7 million.

So, what kind of videos is the ESC serving up to all those new subscribers? If you’re unfamiliar with Eurovision, this rehearsal roundup pretty much encapsulates the spirit of the competition.

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Today's newsletter is from: James Hale, Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.