Fans Think Hogwarts Legacy Forced This Streamer To 'Graduate'

Fans are saying goodbye to VTuber Amano Pikamee, who will retire at the end of March. It's a sad milestone for any VTuber working with the VOMS Project, an organization of VTubers headed by Vocaloid producer GYARI. Many fans have speculated that Pikamee's open desire to play "Hogwarts Legacy" led to her retirement, as the streamer went oddly dark after expressing that she wanted to play the game. Throw in some backlash from fans because of the controversy behind "Hogwarts Legacy," and the offense just might have gotten her bullied off the internet. Really, though, the answer is unclear.

Streamers encounter controversy all the time, and the sudden disappearance of a streamer due to a breach of contract might seem strange to those outside the VTubing world. VOMS members can stream whatever content they desire, but they are under contract with the company to manage things like profit sharing and the use of artwork by GYARI for the VTuber likenesses. Once a VTuber contracted with VOMS Project "retires," that streamer can no longer use the licensed likeness that comprised most of their character, making their streaming career (at least as that specific character) effectively over. This has happened before in VOMS Project history, with Jitomi Monoe, who was suddenly retired after an alleged breach of contract.

Viewers never got an answer as to specifically why Monoe retired, and it looks like the same thing might happen with Pikamee. However, many viewers suspect that the real reason behind Pikamee's retirement involves "Hogwarts Legacy."

On March 1, 2023, VOMS Project announced that Pikamee would retire at the end of the month. The news seemed sudden for many, and fans flooded the tweet replies with disappointment and sadness, discussing how much they'd miss Pikamee after she retires.

Important Notice pic.twitter.com/oASH3igb6k

— VOMS Project (@VOMS_Project) March 1, 2023

The announcement did not disclose a reason for Pikamee's graduation, but it did give the impression that the situation was somewhat amicable, noting that both the company and Pikamee wanted her to graduate in a "positive way." After Pikamee's retirement, all of her content will be archived or deleted. Pikamee confirmed her graduation in a YouTube video, thanking fans and announcing her last day as a VTuber will be March 31.

The timing of Pikamee's retirement raised red flags for some fans, who noticed that the VTuber is stepping down soon after she attempted to stream "Hogwarts Legacy" and was subsequently bullied for it. One Reddit thread discussing the planned "Hogwarts Legacy" stream explained that the internet harassed Pikamee after she expressed interest in the game, making threats and becoming increasingly upset. Soon after, all of Pikamee's tweets about "Hogwarts Legacy" were deleted and VOMS Project announced her graduation.

It's unclear if Pikamee is retiring because of the backlash by choice or because of a breach of contract, and it's possible that the situation is just an unfortunate bit of timing. Other VTubers indicated that Pikamee spoke to them about graduating before the announcement, but it's unclear why the streamer decided to step away. Kotaku reached out to the streamer for clarification, but did not receive a response.