The collaboration between the global corporate VTuber Agency Hololive and the Los Angeles Dodgers was a smashing success, at least marketing-wise and on social media.
The event occurred on July 5th, as the Dodgers faced the Milwaukee Brewers and won 8-5 on MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s birthday. There seemed to be just as many, if not more, Hololive fans, as the ticket package bundle line that came with three limited-edition Hololive promotional baseball cards filled the stands.
The merchandise tent was packed from the start of the pre-game to after hours when the drone show ended, as some who were online missed the entire baseball game. With the amount of new fans it brought into the actual game, I wouldn’t be surprised if another Los Angeles Dodgers collaboration happens again next season. Or perhaps in another location for another MLB team.
VTubers Took Center Stage in Los Angeles for Dodgers Game
This crossover included a “Play ball” announcement, a “Take Me Out to The Ball Game” that was sung by massive VTuber Gawr Gura from the English branch, a hype video, and a post-game drone show. There was also a photo spot with life-sized cutouts of the three Hololive VTubers involved with this collaboration, including Usada Pekora and Hoshimachi Suisei, both from Japan.
There were also exclusive promotional baseball shirts and hats that featured the LA Dodgers logo with the VTubers mentioned earlier. This game also fell on the same weekend as the Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center and with Cover starting an office in LA this month, this collaboration made sense in terms of its timeline.
VTubers are avatars with character models that stream online. The voice behind the anime character signs with a talent agency. Hololive is the biggest example of this, as the Japanese company exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been looking to expand further out West. It makes sense that Japan’s favorite MLB team would be the first to pioneer this type of event.
Sports and Anime Continuing to Expand With Collaborations
Like with Red Bull, Taco Bell, and the Los Angeles Rams, it seems VTuber collaborations are just starting to mesh with other genres of entertainment, even into sports like American Football and Baseball. I wouldn’t be surprised if other professional sports had something sponsored by streamers, now extending to virtual YouTubers.
It is a great way to get exposure from other fan bases. Also, others would be introduced to something new, making just another game a unique experience for someone who has never seen a VTuber before. There is an untapped market for Sports and Anime to coexist, and Hololive is capitalizing on it with its recent expansion to Los Angeles this summer.
Other collaborations, like with a popular Ramen restaurant Tsujita Artisan Noodle, is taking place in LA this month. Another will take place in Fort Lee, New Jersey next month, from August into September. Multiple points of exposure online, like the MLB gaining from VTubers and vice versa, are mutually beneficial partnerships.
Hololive Fans Stood In Line for Merchandise
While there are many positives from the Hololive x Dodgers event, there were some negatives. The biggest one was the lack of preparation in having multiple tents for selling limited edition merchandise. If this collaboration with any sport were to take place, the venue would have to be big enough to house enough areas that goods can be sold.
While it makes sense that the line for the special ticket package was exclusive to one area, the merch line being just one tent wasn’t practical, unless Cover Corporation just wasn’t prepared for it. This special night was announced in the first week of June, so there was enough time and resources to be able to accommodate the massive group of Hololive fans who came to the game in Los Angeles.
Having a pop-up shop on the day of the game, or even the week of the game, could’ve solved the big issue fans had at the stadium with having to wait in long lines for merchandise. Hopefully, if there is another event similar to this, there will be more preparations made and potentially more time to enact those changes.
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