hololive’s EN, ID, and DEV_IS Integration: Why Are Fans Worried?

日本語版はこちら。

On September 7, 2026, COVER Corporation, the company behind the VTuber agency hololive production, announced a major “production renewal” ahead of its 10th anniversary.

The announcement included a wide range of initiatives, including the launch of a special 10th anniversary countdown website, a refreshed logo, a new streaming app called hololive raku, its first TV anime project, and the long-awaited launch of a new unit.

But one of the most significant and widely discussed changes is the decision to bring hololive English, hololive Indonesia, hololive DEV_IS, and hololive (Japan) together under a single “hololive” brand, rather than continuing to organize them primarily around regions and groups.

COVER says the goal is to break down the barriers between regions and groups, allowing talents to interact more freely and create content that is “more open and global than ever.”

参考

hololive Next｜hololive production

hololive Next｜hololive production

At the same time, fans quickly began expressing concerns and criticism following the announcement. Some said they were sad to see the EN and ID names disappear, while others worried that the organization could become more Japan-centric. Some also compared the move to the previous consolidation of NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR.

This article separates what COVER has officially announced from the concerns being raised by fans, as well as speculation that cannot currently be confirmed.

[FACT] What Will Change With the Integration of hololive EN, ID, and DEV_IS?

First, let us look at what COVER has actually announced.

The change announced this time concerns the structure of the brand, which has traditionally been organized around regions and groups.

Until now, hololive has operated several brands, including:

• hololive — often referred to as “hololive JP” by fans for clarity
• hololive Indonesia (ID)
• hololive English (EN)
• hololive DEV_IS

COVER has now announced that these brands will be brought together under a single “hololive” brand, breaking down the boundaries between regions and groups.

However, the following changes have not been confirmed in the official announcement:

• The graduation of activities by EN or ID talents
• Encouraging EN/ID talents to relocate to Japan
• A reduction in English- or Indonesian-language content
• Mandatory Japanese-language streaming for EN/ID talents, or mandatory English-language streaming for JP talents
• A reduction in overseas operations, such as cutting overseas staff or closing locations

In other words, the only thing we can say with certainty at this point is that the brand structure will be unified. How the talents’ actual activities will change after the integration remains to be seen.

[FACT] COVER Says the Goal Is to Break Down Regional Boundaries

The purpose COVER has explicitly stated is to break down the boundaries between regions and groups, enabling more flexible interactions and the creation of more global content.

In its official announcement, COVER said it aims to create new forms of content and entertainment by allowing talents from around the world to interact regardless of region, while also strengthening connections with fans worldwide.

In that sense, the company appears to be moving away from a system of region-specific brands toward a larger, globally unified hololive brand.

[ANALYSIS] The Focus Could Shift From “Region” to “Language and Content”

One possible interpretation of the announcement is that hololive may increasingly focus not on where a talent is based, but on which audience a particular piece of content is intended for and in which language.

For example, it may become easier than before for:

• JP talents to participate in projects aimed at English-speaking audiences
• EN talents to appear in Japanese-language programs
• ID talents to participate in projects aimed at JP or EN audiences

However, this is still an expectation rather than a confirmed plan.

It is a logical direction given COVER’s stated goal of “breaking down regional boundaries,” but the company has not yet announced how the new structure will actually operate.

That said, there are already signs that this is more than just a vision.

Events featuring JP, EN, and ID talents have recently been held or announced in succession, including “The First Pokajan King Championship: hololive Dreams,” hosted by Shirakami Fubuki, and “hololive Dreams Team Rhythm & Chase!” hosted by Shishiro Botan.

This suggests the announcement is more than just a concept on paper, which is an encouraging sign.

[FACT] hololive DEV_IS Is Also Being Integrated Into “hololive”

The integration announced this time does not only affect the overseas brands. hololive DEV_IS is also included.

Established in 2023, hololive DEV_IS was originally presented as a “sister group” to the existing hololive, hololive Indonesia, and hololive English brands, with the goal of pursuing new challenges through a different approach.

参考

hololive DEV_ISについて｜カバー株式会社　公式note

カバー株式会社　公式note

The announcement means that DEV_IS will now also be integrated into the broader “hololive” brand.

That is a fact. However, COVER has not said that DEV_IS is being integrated because its original concept was unsuccessful.

It is reasonable to view this as a milestone for DEV_IS after roughly three years, but statements such as “DEV_IS failed” or “it failed to deliver the expected results” are matters of interpretation and analysis — not established facts, at least at this point.

[REACTION] Why Are Fans Worried About the Integration?

From here, we move away from the official announcement and look at the reaction from fans.

Online discussions reveal three major concerns surrounding the integration:

1. Brand identity
2. A possible shift toward Japan-centric management
3. Distrust stemming from past management issues

[FAN CONCERN] EN and ID Are More Than Just Brand Names

For fans, hololive EN and hololive ID represent much more than organizational divisions on a corporate chart.

Over the years, each brand has developed its own:

• Common language
• Regional culture
• Debut generations
• Relationships between talents
• Fan communities
• Events and projects

As a result, even if the company sees this as simply a change to its brand structure, fans may perceive it as the loss of the name representing the community they have supported for years.

For hololive English in particular, the timing of the announcement — just before the sixth anniversary of the debut of its earliest members — added another layer of complexity to the reaction. (See Note 1.)

Following the announcement, talents including Takanashi Kiara and Kureiji Ollie expressed their confusion or sadness on social media, and their posts were widely shared across overseas communities.

However, an important distinction should be made here.

A talent expressing sadness over the disappearance of the hololive EN or hololive ID brand does not necessarily mean that the talent opposes the integration itself.

It would be inappropriate to conclude that a talent is opposed to the company’s management strategy based solely on comments expressing personal feelings about the loss of a familiar brand.

Note 1: hololive DEV_IS had also just celebrated its third anniversary.

[FAN CONCERN] “Will hololive Become More Japan-Centric?”

Some overseas fans are also concerned that the integration could ultimately lead to a more Japan-centric organization.

Examples of the concerns being raised include the possibility that:

• EN- and ID-specific projects could decrease
• Overseas events could become less frequent
• Japanese-focused commercial opportunities could receive priority
• Talents living outside Japan could be placed at a disadvantage
• EN members could increasingly be expected to use Japanese

However, none of these changes have been confirmed.

COVER has not announced a reduction in the activities of hololive EN or hololive ID, nor has it announced that their content will be shifted toward Japanese.

Therefore, equating “integration” with “a shift to JP” is, at this point, speculation.

[FAN REACTION] The Previous NIJISANJI ID/KR Integration Is Adding to the Anxiety

One precedent that repeatedly comes up in discussions of the current announcement is the 2022 consolidation of NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR.

In February 2022, ANYCOLOR announced that NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR would be integrated into NIJISANJI. The company cited the goal of building a stronger and more efficient support structure.

参考

海外VTuberグループ「NIJISANJI ID」「NIJISANJI KR」、国内VTuberグループ「にじさんじ」への統合に関するお知らせ | にじさんじ

にじさんじ

Fans familiar with that history are now concerned that if the hololive EN and ID brands disappear, their distinctive identities could eventually disappear as well.

However, there is no basis for assuming that hololive will follow exactly the same path as NIJISANJI.

The 2022 NIJISANJI consolidation did not include EN. In contrast, the current hololive integration includes not only hololive EN and hololive ID, but also the domestic DEV_IS group.

Furthermore, COVER has not described the current move as a restructuring of its overseas divisions.

The NIJISANJI precedent helps explain why some fans are worried, but it is not evidence that hololive will produce the same outcome.

[FACT] COVER’s Past Operational Issues Are Also Part of the Background

The current integration is not directly connected to COVER’s past management issues. Nevertheless, the fact that some fans remain cautious about whether they can fully trust the company’s explanations is important when trying to understand the reaction.

[FACT] Rights Issues Surrounding Game Streaming

In 2020, COVER faced criticism over insufficient rights clearances related to game streaming and subsequently apologized and took corrective measures.

参考

弊社における無許諾配信の不手際のお詫びと今後の対応につきまして | カバー株式会社

カバー株式会社

A similar issue — albeit different in scale and circumstances — also occurred in 2025.

The current management structure of hololive should not be equated with that of 2020. Nevertheless, the fact that problems involving rights and operations occurred during hololive’s rapid expansion remains in the memory of some fans.

[FACT] Violation of Japan’s Subcontracting Act

In 2024, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a recommendation to COVER over violations of Japan’s Subcontracting Act.

According to the JFTC, COVER required 23 subcontractors involved in the production of illustrations and 2D/3D models to redo work without compensation a total of 243 times. The JFTC also pointed to issues involving delayed payments. (See Note 2.)

Note 2: COVER explained that the rapid expansion of its business had resulted in oversights and delays in its dealings with business partners.

[ANALYSIS] Could Past Problems Be Contributing to the “Will This Really Work?” Anxiety?

This is an analysis rather than a confirmed fact.

Given that COVER itself cited its rapid business expansion as a factor behind the subcontracting issues, it is understandable that some fans may look at another major organizational change and wonder:

“The brand integration itself is a major change, but can management actually execute it properly?”

That concern is understandable. However, it would be going too far to conclude that “because COVER had operational problems in the past, this integration will also fail.”

[FACT] A Series of Talent Graduations

In recent years, a number of hololive talents have graduated, or ended their activities.

The reasons for graduation differ from talent to talent, so it would not be appropriate to attribute them uniformly to management.

Nevertheless, in some cases, fans have questioned COVER’s approach to management surrounding individual graduations and activity terminations.

As a result, some fans remain wary of COVER’s management with a degree of caution rather than having completely lost their concerns.

[FACT] Reduced Support for HOLOSTARS

Between April and May 2026, COVER announced changes to the management structure of HOLOSTARS, the male VTuber group within hololive production in Japan, broadly amounting to a reduction in the scope of the business. As a result, six talents ultimately graduated.

参考

Notice on the Changes to be Made to HOLOSTARS’ Management Structure | COVER Corp.

COVER Corp.

HOLOSTARS is a separate division from hololive and is not included in the current hololive brand integration.

However, much like the graduations of hololive talents, the changes have been perceived by some fans as another event that raises questions about group management and talent support.

[NOTE] The End of holoearth

In May 2026, COVER also announced the shutdown of its metaverse project holoearth, recording an impairment loss of approximately ¥3.2 billion (approximately $20.83 million) related to the associated assets.

This is also not directly connected to the current hololive brand integration. However, fans may perceive it as another example of a major strategic shift and place it in the same category as other negative developments from the past.

参考

[Important Notice] Termination of Service Announcement (Holoearth) | COVER Corp.

COVER Corp.

[FAN REACTION] Not Everyone Is Opposed to the Integration

The online reaction to the announcement is not uniformly negative. Positive opinions include:

• Removing the barriers between branches could make collaborations easier
• There could be more projects involving JP, EN, and ID talents
• Fans could have more opportunities to discover talents from other regions
• The overall hololive brand could become stronger

These views are also consistent with the purpose COVER has given for the integration.

In fact, collaborations involving JP, EN, and ID talents have already been taking place for years.

There is therefore a certain logic to the argument that “hololive is already becoming one global group in practice, so having a single brand would make that easier to understand.”

In other words, the integration presents both the risk of diluting the history and identity of individual brands and the potential benefit of expanding hololive’s activities as a whole. Which side ultimately becomes more significant will depend on how the new structure is operated.

[FACT + REACTION] Talents Have Also Started Explaining Their Own Views

Immediately after the announcement, some talents expressed their personal feelings about the change on X (formerly Twitter).

Since then, talents including Shirakami Fubuki, Mori Calliope, and Otonose Kanade have discussed their thoughts and feelings about the changes during streams.

On September 10, Ninomae Ina’nis also spoke in detail about the integration. Her stream is particularly worth watching.

During the stream, Ina’nis said that she herself initially had questions about the integration, but that after receiving additional explanations from the company, she came to understand the intention behind it.

It would be too simplistic to describe this as “a talent initially opposed the integration.”

However, her comments can reasonably be seen as evidence that some aspects of the change were not fully clear from the company’s initial explanation alone.

[ANALYSIS] The Issue May Be Not Only the Integration Itself, but How It Was Explained

Following the reaction to the announcement, it has become clear that the question of “Why do you need to eliminate the English and Indonesia brand names in the first place?” has been nearly as significant as opposition to the integration itself — particularly among English-speaking and Indonesian fans.

From the company’s perspective, consolidating everything under one brand may be a rational organizational decision.

From the fans’ perspective, however, EN and ID are not merely “branch names.” They represent years of activities, memories, and communities.

Unlike EN, which primarily represents a language-based grouping, ID carries the name of a specific country. That may also have created a particularly strong emotional connection among its talents and local fans.

This means one of the key questions raised by the announcement is whether the company sufficiently explained the gap between the organizational rationale for the change and the emotional meaning that these brands have for talents and fans.

It would be premature to conclude that COVER failed to provide enough explanation internally. However, given the reactions from talents and fans immediately following the announcement, there is at least a clear need for additional explanation.

COVER CEO Motoaki Tanigo (better known as YAGOO) may play that role through the upcoming “hololive Next” program, in which he will appear.

[WHAT TO WATCH] Could the New Unit “Asobi★Mawaritai!” Be a Test Case for the New hololive?

As part of the 10th anniversary initiatives, COVER also announced a new unit called “Asobi★Mawaritai!（アソビ★まわり隊！）” More details are expected to be revealed in the future.

The unit will be an interesting one to watch when considering what the “one hololive” brand strategy will actually look like in practice.

Key Questions to Watch

The following points may help reveal the direction of the new hololive:

• Will the members come from multiple regions and cultural backgrounds?
• How will languages other than Japanese be handled?
• Will projects be designed with overseas fans in mind from the outset?
• Will the unit’s activities move beyond the traditional JP/EN/ID classification?

[ANALYSIS] The Name “Asobi★Mawaritai!” Raises an Interesting Question

At the same time, the name “Asobi★Mawaritai!” itself has a distinctly Japan-focused feel, with a strong emphasis on Japanese wordplay and a pun-like double meaning.

The logo currently does not include an English name or Romanized title alongside the Japanese name. The teaser video released with the announcement is also entirely in Japanese, without subtitles.

This does not mean that a Japanese name is inherently unsuitable for a global project.

However, considering that this is the first new unit being introduced under the new hololive strategy of “breaking down regional and group boundaries” and creating “more open and global content,” it is fair to say that the unit currently appears somewhat Japan-focused.

That said, the members, activities, and overseas strategy have not yet been revealed. Therefore, rather than declaring that the unit contradicts the new policy, it should be treated as one point to watch as we see how the project develops.

[WHAT TO WATCH] Five Ways to Judge Whether the hololive Integration Is Working

It will not be possible to determine whether the integration is successful based solely on the announcement. We need to look at how actual activities change.

1. Will EN and ID Retain Their Distinctive Cultures?

Even if the brand name is unified under “hololive,” concerns about the loss of identity will be less significant if the company maintains or expands:

• Projects aimed at English-speaking and Indonesian audiences
• Overseas events
• Content that incorporates regional cultures

2. Will Overseas Talents Get More Opportunities?

It will also be important to see whether overseas talents receive more opportunities to participate in concerts, events, official programs, collaborations, and other projects.

This will be one way to determine whether the company’s stated goal of lowering the barriers between regions is actually working.

3. Will Official Social Media Accounts and YouTube Channels Truly Become More Cross-Regional?

If the company is genuinely shifting its communication strategy away from regional divisions and toward languages and content, we should see more communication that crosses the traditional JP/EN/ID boundaries. This should be a relatively straightforward area to monitor.

4. Will New Talents Be Designed for a Global Audience From the Start?

COVER’s current official hololive auditions list native-level Japanese and business-level English and/or another language as a preferred qualification for JP and EN applicants. This requirement does not apply to ID.

The languages and regions that new talents are expected to serve will therefore also provide clues about the direction of the new hololive. Given the stated purpose of the brand integration, it is possible that more Japanese talents will also be multilingual in the future.

5. Will hololive Become an Environment Where Talents Can Build Long-Term Careers?

Given the recent history of graduations, another important question is whether the new structure can create an environment where talents can continue their careers over the long term.

However, the success of the integration should not be judged simply by the number of graduations. Every graduation has its own circumstances, so the more appropriate long-term question is whether the new management structure makes it easier for talents to continue their activities.

[BACKGROUND] COVER Has Also Been Reviewing Its Businesses and Organizational Structure in 2026

When considering the current integration, it is also worth keeping in mind that COVER has been reviewing multiple businesses and organizational structures in 2026, including the aforementioned changes to HOLOSTARS and the shutdown of holoearth.

[SPECULATION] Is “Cost Cutting” the Real Reason for the Integration?

Looking at these developments, it is possible to speculate that the current brand integration could also be intended to reduce management or operating costs.

However, there is currently no official evidence supporting that interpretation. (See Note 3.) The reason COVER has given for the move is to eliminate the boundaries between regions and groups and enable more flexible interactions and the creation of more global content.

Therefore, claims such as “COVER is restructuring EN and ID to avoid worsening financial performance” should be avoided unless evidence emerges to support them.

Note 3: COVER’s operating profit and ordinary profit for the fiscal year ended March 2026 were both lower than the previous fiscal year, and its first quarter of fiscal 2027 also recorded lower revenue and lower profit. However, based on the company’s earnings presentation materials, it is actually aiming to strengthen talent management and support.

Conclusion: It Is Too Early to Say That the EN/ID Integration Means a Retreat From Overseas Markets

In the discussion surrounding the announcement, pessimistic comments such as “EN is over,” “ID is disappearing,” and “This will ultimately become JP-centric” have been particularly visible among overseas fans.

However, most of these statements are currently predictions or concerns rather than established facts. What COVER has officially announced is that it will reorganize its brand structure, moving away from region- and group-based divisions and operating everything under a single “hololive” brand.

The company has also stated that the purpose is to encourage interaction across regional boundaries and create more global content.

On the other hand, COVER has not announced any reduction in EN or ID activities, a shift toward Japanese-language content, or cuts to overseas staff. At this stage, it is therefore too early to conclude that “integration means a retreat from overseas expansion.”

At the same time, the reasons behind the fans’ concerns are understandable.

EN and ID have developed into distinct communities through years of activity. When that is combined with existing caution or distrust toward management, it is natural for fans to be wary of a major brand restructuring.

Ultimately, the question raised by this change is not simply whether the integration itself is the right decision.

The more important question is:

Can hololive preserve the culture and sense of belonging that EN, ID, and JP have built — even after they become part of a single “hololive” brand?

We will have to wait and see how this unfolds. The success or failure of the integration may only become clear a year from now, when hololive production celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Disclosure: This article was written based on the author’s independent opinions, research, and analysis. ChatGPT was used to help organize the article structure, provide assistance, prepare the initial draft, English-language refinement, and perform a preliminary review of the completed manuscript.