The initial conversation with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS began in the summer of 2023. From there, we continued discussions and gradually worked through the details and by around October of that year, we had reached a stage where we were able to share the proposal with our Talent Management Team.

 I joined the project in the summer of 2024, beginning with Pekora’s recording sessions. I didn’t know that the project was already underway in 2023, so that’s news to me.

In the year before Y joined the project, we spent a lot of time discussing how best to bring Pekora into the game. Together with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, one of the first questions was whether to use a Live2D or a 3D model. We created sample footage for both and compared them, we ultimately decided that the 3D model would work best.

For many of the other guest preppers, the process typically involves capturing a 3D model in the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS’ scanning room and then refining it before implementing it in the game. In Pekora’s case, however, there were many elements that were experimental for our team as well, so the process required extra time.  

We first recorded sample footage of Pekora’s 3D model in our studio and submitted the video to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Their team then adjusted the footage to ensure it would blend naturally with the game’s world and visual style. 

There was a clear reason for providing video rather than the 3D model data itself. KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS’ request was to present Pekora in a way that felt authentic to how she appears in her everyday streams. At the same time, DEATH STRANDING is built on a highly realistic engine and shade system. Balancing those two elements, we explored different approaches before ultimately arriving at this solution. 

For the Private Room wallpaper, we actually proposed an alternative concept alongside the streaming-style background seen in the game, featuring Pekora astride a bike. Personally, I liked that version more, but director Kojima felt that a background closer to Pekora’s usual streams would be more fitting. 

To make it something truly special, we asked Hikosan (@hikosan333) the illustrator who had previously created the thumbnail artwork for Pekora’s DEATH STRANDING 1 livestream playthrough, to take on the design. At first glance, it looks just like a background similar to other Pekora ones, but if you take a closer look, you’ll find DEATH STRANDING details sprinkled throughout. Be sure to explore every corner!

In the beginning, myself included, there were some team members who weren’t very familiar with VTubers. However, fortunately, we had fans of hololive within the company, and we often turned to them for advice, asking questions like, “What’s the best way to introduce Pekora?” and “How can we make this feel natural for fans on both sides?”

That makes sense. The dialogue scripts for Pekora were prepared by KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and then reviewed by our team and I got the sense that they were written by someone who truly likes Pekora. (lol) 

I heard that feedback from those staff members was also reflected in how Pekora speaks, with suggestions like, “Wouldn’t she say this a bit differently?” Through those kinds of exchanges, it seems that other staff members gradually became more familiar with Pekora as well. lol. 

As for me, I wanted to gain a better understanding of VTubers, so I started by creating a Live2D model myself. By actually animating it and working with it hands-on, I was able to learn not only what was technically possible or impossible, but also a deeper understanding about VTuber culture. Before long, it became something I checked in on every day – an entertainment culture that’s now firmly part of my routine.

Pekora’s recording session also served as our first in-person meeting, and discussions around promotion gradually moved forward after that.

We first met at our office and held a brainstorming session. We wrote down ideas each of us had brought on a whiteboard and then combined them as we went along. That said, the overall direction was aligned from the very beginning – both teams shared the view that, since a VTuber was involved, we wanted to create something with a strong sense of storytelling that could spark conversation on social media.

Following the recording, we first revealed that Pekora had visited KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, aiming to give fans on both sides the sense that “something might be about to happen.” At that point, very few people were expecting that Pekora would actually appear in the game though. 

At the time, we really wanted people at hololive production to become familiar with DEATH STRANDING. We felt that would lead to a stronger impact, so I remember that many of the proposals were made with hololive very much in mind. 

We had confidence that Pekora’s fans would take an interest in DEATH STRANDING once Pekora’s appearance was announced, so when it came to where to focus our resources, we discussed placing a strong emphasis on social media, aiming to reach fans who support hololive in general, as well as those who knew about KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and VTubers.

From our side, we had suggested the idea of “handing something out.” This is not unique to our company, but rather a broader challenge for VTubers in general; as VTuber content originates from the Internet, real-world exposure tends to be limited. Given this opportunity, we wanted to try something more analog, something we don’t usually do at hololive. The idea of handing out tissues itself, however, came from KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS.

On our side as well, we thought that if we were going to hand something out, it should be something we would be least likely to do ourselves, so we landed on pocket tissues. There was also a sense that they resonated with DEATH STRANDING’s themes, in that people can choose whether or not to take them. 

When we presented the idea to director Kojima, he was interested in the concept of intentionally connecting a VTuber collaboration with something as analog as giving out pocket tissues and the proposal was approved immediately. He also seemed to develop an interest in pocket tissue culture itself, and later even touched on this initiative in his regular column for anan magazine.

Originally, director Kojima wasn’t planning to hand out tissues himself (lol). We hoped the buzz would build naturally, so we didn’t actively reach out to the media on our end. As a result, seeing the initiative gain attention through social media and then be covered by the media was something we were truly grateful for. 

That was really something…

No, no not at all…

In our usual production process, we start by creating the script. This time as well, the script came first from hologra team – but, how should I put it… it was quite over the top. K first reached out to Y and asked, “Do you think this is okay?” adding, “If it’s going too far, we can always make changes.” 

hologra is known for creating fairly edgy content, so the proposal carried a sense of “this is something we need to push!” For this promotion, we had been intentionally incorporating elements that aren’t typically associated with VTubers, but since this was an in-house piece, we felt it was the right moment to fully lean into hololive’s distinctive style. That said, I did think it might have been a bit too much to get the green light straight away though (lol). 

We shared it with our development team as well, but it turned out to be a bit too much, and they had to put a stop to it (lol). In the end, we decided to dial it back just a little.

 It was difficult to use DEATH STRANDING assets directly, so we asked COVER to handcraft the 3D models based on sample data we provided. This is what I wanted to clarify earlier. We supervised the work very scrupulously, which meant the refinement process ended up taking quite a bit of time. 

In saying that, it was clear that everyone on the hologra Team was striving to create something of outstanding quality, and seeing that level of dedication made us feel like we had to respond in kind and do our part as well. 

From my side, one of the points I commented on was the angle of the Odradek as it opens and closes. It’s an internal mechanism, so it’s not something most viewers would necessarily focus on, but it’s the kind of detail that those who know the game would immediately recognize. 

There are also various other hidden touches. For instance, the map that appears in hologra is actually the same map used in the game, though not many people seem to have noticed it yet.

If you zoom in on the blue pattern on the cargo, you’ll see that it actually says “hololive production.”

As for the talents who appear, we cast those who had previously completed DEATH STRANDING in their own livestreams. Quite a few people picked up on that detail.

This project really reaffirmed for us just how strong KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS’ reach is in overseas markets. With Pekora having been nominated in the Creator category at The Game Awards, it felt like international audiences have really accepted Pekora not as a VTuber, but as a well-known individual in her own right. This allows us to move beyond the label of “VTuber” and break boundaries in a positive sense, and that, to me, was the most meaningful outcome of this collaboration. 

Looking at domestic impressions, the results were roughly in line with other collaborations of a similar scale. Overseas, however, impressions increased by as much as 650%. For hologra as well, comments from overseas viewers rose by 60%. These were extremely encouraging results for us.

In addition, among KOJIMA PRODUCTION’s posts related to DEATH STRANDING, 28% included keywords associated with Pekora. We see this as a point where we were able to clearly communicate and deliver our value through the collaboration.

What we focused on most was making sure her appearance would feel satisfying for existing fans, while also generating positive interest among those encountering Pekora for the first time. From the outset, we wanted to avoid making Pekora feel out of place, instead allowing her to blend naturally into the world of DEATH STRANDING. From there, as players progress through the quests, they’re rewarded with unlockables that would please fans, such as Pekora’s hat or her music.

When it came to promotion, our focus before the announcement was on creating a context that highlighted our connection with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Then, after the announcement, our emphasis shifted to reaching Pekora’s fans through hologra. Because this collaboration began not so much as a partnership between companies, but from a chance connection between two creators – director Hideo Kojima and Usada Pekora – we feel it became something that both fan communities could naturally relate to and appreciate. For us at COVER, it was also a rare opportunity to produce a large volume of creative work, making this project particularly distinctive from others.

To be honest, since this was our first time featuring a VTuber, we did have some concerns about whether there might be negative reactions, but in the end, we were able to build new connections with an entirely new audience. 

On the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS YouTube channel, we regularly post videos related to DEATH STRANDING 2, and recently we uploaded a video that featured Pekora. It received an overwhelmingly positive response, and on social media we saw a large number of replies with screenshots of players wearing the Nousagi Cap, which just shows that at this point, Pekora has become a character that feels genuinely familiar to the DEATH STRANDING following as well. 

As director Kojima mentioned at the event, once a connection is made, it’s not something that’s easily broken. The same is true of the connection created through this project – it’s really about how much further we can deepen it from here. If we have the opportunity to work together with Pekora and everyone at COVER again in the future, I’d love to pursue something even more exciting than this time (lol).