Twitch announces changes after its new “drop-ins” threaten to reveal VTuber identities

A new Twitch feature is stirring up some drama within the platform’s VTuber community. The Amazon-owned platform has changed the default settings for the new “drop-in” option after some virtual creators noted that the feature could lead to some unintended face reveals.

Twitch launched drop-ins last week as part of an effort to encourage more collaborations within its streaming community. To use the feature, streamers must first “knock” on an active account to request a collab.

Initially, when a drop-in was accepted, Twitch automatically turned on the webcams of the partnered streamers. That quirk of the system triggered concerns among VTubers, many of whom closely guard the secret of their IRL identities. Twitch quickly announced a change to drop-ins that will keep webcams off after the collabs begin.

VTubers like Himura Senri and Vee responded to Twitch’s tweet with questions about how an oversight like that could slip through the cracks on a platform that hosts thousands of VTubers. Even before those complaints arose, drop-ins were already contentious; when the feature first debuted, some streamers questioned its utility and suggested that it could be used as a tool of abuse.

Twitch prepared for those questions by allowing its users to prevent certain groups from requesting drop-ins with them. “You control who can knock on your door,” reads an introductory blog post. “You can set your preferences to All Streamers, Affiliates and Partners, Partners only, People you Follow or your Favorites list. We have selected defaults, but it is easy to change these settings from the Collaboration panel in Stream Manager.”

The VTubers who are concerned about the security of their real-life identities may want to enforce those limitations. The world of virtual creators may be a land of opportunity, but this story is a reminder that VTubers face some unique issues.