When I’m not watching the latest hentai or reading erotic manga, I’m streaming all manner of NSFW games across a variety of websites. However, being both a VTuber and a sex worker can present issues when it comes to finding a site I can call home. Not only does the site need to approve of VTubing, but they also need to approve of lewd gaming AND sex work/camming.
Imagine my excitement when I was recently approached by RPLAY with the opportunity to start streaming on a website made exclusively for VTubers! On top of that, they don’t just allow, but actively encourage NSFW content creation such as lewd ASMR or naughty livestreams. Whether you’re a fan of VTubers or a VTuber yourself, tune in to this interview to learn all about RPLAY!
Special thanks to Hata for helping coordinate the interview and creating questions, and a big shoutout to the RPLAY team for their cooperation!
LewdNeko: Thank you for the interview! To get things started, go ahead and introduce yourself at the streaming platform RPLAY.
RPLAY: Thank you for having us! RPLAY is a content & streaming platform designed for VTubers.
While there are many mega platforms out there, we noticed that there were none dedicated solely to VTubers. This discovery became the main inspiration behind the creation of RPLAY.
Our mission is to provide an environment where VTubers, who are currently facing various challenges that prevent them from monetizing their content, are able to freely go ahead with their activities.
LewdNeko: RPlay is a Korean platform; can you elaborate why placing your service in Korea is what you decided to do? This is especially in regards to the very recent news with Twitch Korea and how they had to shut down due to low or no profitability due to Korea lacking net neutrality.
RPLAY: The initial reason behind placing our service in Korea was more due to the fact that Korea’s existing streaming platforms were not suitable for VTubers, and net neutrality wasn’t a big concern. In fact, Twitch Korea’s shutdown, which you mentioned, has led to a rise in creators who are interested in RPLAY, as they search for a platform dedicated solely to virtual content.
Additionally, Korea is geographically very close to Japan, which many people will agree is the birthplace of subculture, and is therefore heavily influenced by Japanese culture. We have been able to take advantage of these quirks to gradually establish our presence in the virtual content sphere.
However, since a service provided in Korean can only be used in Korea, we believe that it’s time to expand our service towards the Anglosphere.
LewdNeko: RPLAY is rather unique as far as streaming sites go given its focus on VTubers. What inspired you to focus solely on virtual creators?
RPLAY: There are innumerous streaming platforms out there that cater to all types of streamers, but few that focus on a specific niche. We believe that there is an unmet desire for VTubers to have their own dedicated vertical content platform (vertical here meaning dedicated to a single niche), which became the inspiration for our platform. As your question implies, this is what we think gives RPLAY its uniqueness.
And really, take a look at some of the VTuber models out there and tell me you don’t want a platform dedicated to others just like them!
LewdNeko: Many popular streaming platforms work together with specific influencers, agencies, and VTubers. Do you have any plans directly approaching more famous people, and do your funds allow partnership contracts?
RPLAY: Absolutely! Even now, RPLAY is in the process of negotiating partnerships with popular VTubers and VTuber agencies. RPLAY’s revenue in Asia is increasing steadily, and we are liberally investing our surplus cash into these partnerships.
We believe that a platform’s success comes from the quality of its creators, and are willing to invest in this belief.
LewdNeko: Is there a partner program planned which yields monitary rewards?
RPLAY: There are lots of variables to consider when planning a partner program, such as each creator’s following, content schedule, and what they actually want to receive as rewards. We do our best to provide everything a creator wants and needs to grow their following and increase their revenue.
While I can’t share all the details, some of the support we provide includes financing for VTuber models and illustrations, as well as streaming equipment. Additionally, one of our staff members is a professional audio engineer who regularly helps creators set up their streaming equipment, and helps them greatly increase the sound quality of streams and ASMR-related content.
LewdNeko: RPLAY also allows NSFW content, with a big focus going towards NSFW ASMR and erotic audios. More recently, livestreams have been added which has given streamers the chance to stream visual novels and eroge. What benefits do you think RPLAY provides to NSFW content creators?
RPLAY: RPLAY takes pride in being a platform without limitations. One of our major benefits is that any kind of virtual content can be uploaded and monetized with us – as long as it adheres to our (very short) content guidelines, which prohibits content produced without the consent of performers and content that involves minors as performers.
Another of our benefits is that our platforms gather users who are interested in a specific niche in one place, helping creators realize that they can supply what these users want, and enabling them to generate meaningful revenue.
LewdNeko: Korea is strict with fictional pornography, how does your platform deal with those regulations?
RPLAY: Before RPLAY’s service went live in Korea, we spent months in discussion with relevant government agencies. Due to VTubers being portrayed in media in a similar way to animated content, we are able to operate under the same legal regulations that are applied to animations and webtoons that are created and published in Korea. This means that there are no limits to using our service.
Make sure to switch on that NSFW toggle in our site, though! Having a site toggle that requires an account’s age to be verified to switch on is one of RPLAY Korea’s regulatory requirements, although Western users only need to log in.
LewdNeko: RPlay allows NSFW gaming and virtual camming, but there are still restrictions on certain content. In particular fictional non-consentual content comes to mind which is a part of many dramatic visual novel narratives (ex. Full Metal Daemon Muramasa or Wonderful Everyday). Is there any leeway to this rule or are those games considered banned? What if a streamer completely skips the scenes or censors them with a black screen?
RPLAY: RPLAY strictly prohibits content that has been produced without the consent of performers, as well as any content that has been produced with the participation of minors. However, that is the full extent of our content policy.
Outside of these rules, we ensure and encourage maximum self-expression. Consequently, this includes allowing taboo / graphic content such as some parts of Full Metal Daemon Muramasa and Wonderful Everyday to be streamed and uploaded to our platform.
And no, streamers don’t have to worry about skipping or censoring any part of their content.
However, content that might cause discomfort to others (such as content that concerns sensitive, recent real-world events or includes personal information) may have their exposure on our platform limited after being reviewed.
LewdNeko: Is your platform exclusively designed for virtuals, or do you ever plan to expand to IRL content? RPLAY also previously had a focus mostly on ASMR/roleplay content, do you have any plans to encourage more gaming/chatting style content?
RPLAY: Yes, RPLAY is designed exclusively for virtual creators, and we plan to keep it like this; so we have no plans to expand to IRL content.
To answer your second question, we absolutely encourage (even insist on!) content that is common in the VTubing sphere, such as gaming / Just Chatting. RPLAY will actively support creators who stream these genres with us.
LewdNeko: RPLAY currently has a tipping system, so viewers can interact with livestreams, as well as purchasing VODs/audios. Do you have any plans for more ways for creators to interact with their audience in the future?
RPLAY: Absolutely! We’ve recently launched a beta messenger feature, which will be available for use very soon. It makes use of our staple dual monetization method (giving access to content and features through subscriptions or once-off purchases) to allow users to interact with their favorite creators even more directly.
We also regularly survey and accept feedback from our creators, and put widely requested features into development to be released further down the line. Our messenger was one such widely requested feature.
As our English service continues to grow, we’ll improve our feedback system even further, so that we can add lots of various fun features as they are requested.
LewdNeko: What are your goals for 2024 with RPlay? Do you see the platform having made a dent in the industry once 2025 comes around?
RPLAY: RPLAY’s goal for 2024 is to help our English-speaking creators start generating significant revenue through our services. We’re very happy for the opportunity to host the VTubers who are currently active on our site, and can’t wait for the others who will be joining them soon.
We firmly believe that if we can grow the number of creators who increase their revenue on RPLAY, others will be encouraged to join our community by 2025.
This would absolutely allow RPLAY to make a dent in the virtual content creator industry; since providing something new and groundbreaking – a platform dedicated solely towards the growth and success of smaller Vtubers – is what we’ve set out to do from the beginning.
Until then (and afterwards, too!), we’ll continue to do our best.
Thanks again to RPLAY for the interview, and for making a wonderful site for VTubers! Keep up with them by following them on Twitter for news about new creators and updates. If you’re a VTuber looking to stream with them, you can find more information on how to sign-up and get started here. And for all of you viewers…. what are you waiting for?! Go check out all of ASMR and livestreams that RPLAY has to offer!
