COVER Corporation announced on May 14, 2026 that Holoearth, the company's ambitious metaverse platform for hololive production VTubers, will be discontinued on June 28, 2026 at 21:00 JST. The decision comes after what the company described as “careful consideration regarding the ability to provide service into the future,” bringing an end to a project first revealed in October 2021.

Shutdown Schedule & Refunds

The timeline for the termination follows a phased approach:

  • Immediately (May 14) — Sale of Premium HoloCoin discontinued; Holoearth Marketplace review and editing disabled
  • June 3, 2026 — Sale of official Holoearth premium items and user-created items discontinued
  • June 28, 2026 at 21:00 JST — Full service termination
  • June 29 – September 30, 2026 — Refund application period for unused Premium HoloCoin and Creator Points balances
“We offer our sincerest apologies for being unable to meet the expectations of everyone who supported us, and we deeply appreciate everyone who found enjoyment through Holoearth. It is our hope that the myriad of experiences in Holoearth, the bonds formed among users, and the time spent in this world will remain with everyone as cherished memories.”
— Holoearth Official Termination Notice

A Brief History of Holoearth

Holoearth was first announced in October 2021 as a flagship project under COVER Corporation's hololive Alternative multimedia initiative. The platform promised a unique “another world” experience where VTuber talents, creators, and fans could connect across virtual dimensions. A beta version with basic chatting features launched in November 2022, with microtransactions (Premium HoloCoin) confirmed by April 2023. The platform saw its 1.0 official launch in April 2025, just over a year before the termination announcement.

The platform featured three core elements: a sandbox game for user creation, a lobby system for social interaction, and an avatar creation system. It was used to host virtual concert viewing parties, seasonal events, and community gatherings alongside major hololive events like hololive SUPER EXPO.

Project Lead Statement

In a separate message, Holoearth Project Lead Ikko Fukuda acknowledged the project's shortcomings while emphasizing that the technology and learnings from Holoearth would carry forward into future hololive production efforts.

“The technologies and learnings cultivated through Holoearth will live on in hololive production’s future efforts, helping pave the way to new experiences. The time you spent there, along with each encounter and memory, are precious to us, and will remain with everyone involved in this project.”
— Ikko Fukuda, Holoearth Project Lead

Fukuda's statement notably did not provide a specific reason for the shutdown, though reports have estimated significant financial losses for the project.

Community Reaction

The announcement was met with a mix of sadness and resignation across VTuber fan communities. On Reddit, the dominant sentiment in r/Hololive threads reflected long-running skepticism about the platform’s direction and sustainability. Many fans noted that Holoearth had struggled to find a clear identity, with one top comment calling it “a money sink for years with barely anything to show for it.”

Others expressed hope that the VR concert infrastructure developed for Holoearth might be spun off into a standalone service, preserving the interactive viewing experience. Some fans called for the platform’s avatar creation and social features to be integrated into a more focused application.

On Twitter/X, the official announcement received over 6,100 likes and 328 replies within hours, with replies ranging from appreciation posts to pointed questions about the platform's management and direction.

Context & Significance

The shutdown of Holoearth represents COVER Corporation’s most significant failed project to date, coinciding with a period of major growth for the company across its core VTuber talent management business. The timing is notable — just weeks after the company announced the conclusion of streaming activities for six HOLOSTARS JP members, suggesting a broader period of operational restructuring.

The metaverse space has proven challenging for many Japanese entertainment companies. COVER’s exit from its dedicated metaverse platform mirrors similar pullbacks by other firms who struggled to find sustainable engagement and revenue models in the space. However, the company’s core business — VTuber talent management, concerts, merchandise, and music — continues to expand, with major events like hololive English 4th Concert -Serendipity- (July 3–4) and the 7th fes. “Ridin' on Dreams” highlighting the company’s continued growth trajectory.

For fans, the final weeks of Holoearth’s service offer one last opportunity to explore the world that COVER built — and a moment to reflect on what the metaverse experiment meant for the VTuber industry as a whole.