The latest strategy to fuel indie development? Turning yourself into a VTuber

Raúl, an indie game developer known for releasing a whimsical and vibrant 3D platformer called Frogun, undergoes a complete digital transformation when working on his games.

Each time he goes live on Twitch, he streams as a droopy-eyed white cat named “Molegato.” His setup works like any other VTuber, so the low-poly model of the character tracks his face and allows him to interact live as the character. It’s a cute bit, and it plays into a larger trend of game developers streaming as low-poly VTubers.

After starting in May, Raúl’s channel now has 148 followers and a couple of dozen viewers each session. Although the numbers aren’t huge, Raúl told Polygon that streaming has allowed him to “meet so many cool people in the community” and allow him to learn new skills and do small projects that will help him with his next game.

Raúl got the idea for the stream from the developer Dooper and another low-poly VTuber and artist who goes by GauntletQueen. In the indie gaming space, where new projects are plentiful and it can be challenging for developers to carve out their niche, VTubing has given some developers a new way to find a voice. According to Twitch Tracker, Dooper has over 15,000 followers and has averaged over 100 viewers per stream in the past six months. Now, others are looking to try streaming and making games at the same time.

For Raúl, streaming as a cute 3D animal allows him to connect with others despite being a self-described introvert.

“I didn’t want to set up a camera as I still feel a bit awkward so a VTuber felt the best approach,” he told Polygon via DMs on X. Raúl made a model and ended up with a cat that looked like “a nervous and very very tired little guy just like me!” Thus, the white cat Molegato — a portmanteau of Raúl’s two favorite animals: cats and moles — was born.

Each of Raúl’s streams varies — he works on different aspects of game development each time — but there’s always a laid-back vibe. In a stream this week, soft funky music played in the background as he drew the art for a character resembling an anthropomorphized raccoon girl.

Streaming as a VTuber gives developers a visually striking way to present their work. Raúl’s character reflects the visual art style of the games he makes, and goofy clips of the streams provide fodder to share his work on social media.

In an industry often guarded carefully by NDAs and other industry secrets, it’s refreshing to see developers stream their process and games online for anyone to see. But it’s not just about learning and showing off game development skills. Streaming helps add a personal and emotional touch to the game creation process.

“I want to make my streams a chill place where indies can see that it’s OK if we’re not always in our best moment or if we worry a lot, or if we’ve been negatively affected by stuff like toxic masculinity,” he told Polygon. “I was an introvert growing up so I never had anyone to help me with these, so I want to foster being open and supportive about that kind of stuff.”