Cover Corp CEO Motoaki Tanigo (YAGOO) Addresses VTuber Departures

Cover Corporation CEO Motoaki Tanigo (known as YAGOO) addressed the ongoing wave of departures from the company’s popular VTuber agency, Hololive Production. YAGOO attributed the talent exodus partly to natural career evolution, noting that many performers are reassessing their professional paths several years into their careers.

“VTubers began in 2017, and it has been more than six years since the first generation of Hololive members began in 2018, so I think this is the time for changes to occur in the career plans and life plans of each talent,” he explained at the briefing.

The agency has seen several high-profile departures since 2024, including popular talents Minato Aqua, Murasaki Shion, and Gawr Gura. Both Shion and Gura cited differences in direction with Cover as their reason for leaving the agency. YAGOO emphasized that each departing talent has unique circumstances, stating, “I understand that they are not all graduating for the same reason.” He acknowledged that while the company focused on business growth and developing support systems for talent, some communication gaps may have occurred.

Following a management restructuring in April, YAGOO reported having more flexibility to directly engage with creators about their situations and future prospects. “I want to prevent situations like employees quitting due to a miscommunication,” he said, pledging to strengthen communication while evolving the company to better support talent growth.

When questioned about recruiting new talent for the current fiscal year, YAGOO was reserved, saying it was “a bit difficult to comment” on such plans. Instead, he highlighted the company’s intention to create an environment where existing popular talents can thrive, pointing to Houshou Marine’s recent milestone of surpassing 4 million YouTube subscribers.

Cover Corporation reported strong financial performance for the fiscal year, with sales of 43,410 million yen (up 43.9% year-over-year) and net profit of 5,559 million yen (up 34.4%). The company’s workforce grew from 509 to 679 employees, though CFO Yosuke Kaneko indicated future growth would stabilize as the company focuses on optimizing existing personnel.

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