Avatar Call App POPOPO to End Service Six Months After Launch
The six-month shutdown of POPOPO illustrates the difficulty of establishing a new domestic social app even with high-profile backers and a novel camera-free concept.
Key Facts
- POPOPO will end service on September 17, 2026 at 15:00 JST, about six months after its launch on March 18, 2026.
- New premium member registrations and coin sales will stop on July 22, 2026, and new downloads will end on August 31, 2026.
- Unused paid coins will be refunded during the period from September 17, 2026 to November 17, 2026.
- The app was developed by POPOPO Inc., whose board included GACKT, Hiroyuki Nishimura, and Hideaki Anno.
- After service termination, all account data and HoloSuit avatars will be deleted, with no migration option.
Reporting from 6 sources: 4Gamer.net, KAI-YOU, Denfaminicogamer, ASCII.jp, and 2 more.
POPOPO Inc. announced on July 15, 2026, that its smartphone communication app POPOPO will end service on September 17 at 15:00 JST. The app, which launched on March 18, 2026, operated as a "videophone that doesn't need a camera," allowing users to converse via 3D avatars that animate automatically based on voice input. The company cited a review of the future business environment and service optimization as the reason for termination. The shutdown timeline includes a halt to new premium member registrations and coin sales on July 22, followed by the end of new downloads on August 31. Unused paid coins will be refunded between September 17 and November 17. During the remaining service period, updates will add external VRM avatar loading and LIVE point exchange features. After service ends, all account data and HoloSuit avatars will be deleted, with no migration to other services. POPOPO was launched by entrepreneur Masuo Kawakami, with a board that included GACKT, Hiroyuki Nishimura, and Hideaki Anno.
POPOPO's board included musician GACKT, 2channel founder Hiroyuki Nishimura, and director Hideaki Anno, drawing attention at launch. The app had collaborated with franchises like Evangelion and Touhou Project for avatar designs. The service was positioned as a Japanese-origin SNS with a focus on voice-driven avatar animation, eliminating the need for a webcam. The company stated that the decision came after a review of the business environment, and promised updates for the remaining two months, including a free VRM loading feature that allows users to import custom 3D avatars from VirtualCast. LIVE points, awarded for streaming activity, can be exchanged for free coins or Dot Money until the service ends. The refund process for paid coins requires users to keep the app installed, as the in-app user ID is needed. The short lifespan of the project, which launched with a press conference featuring the board members, highlights the challenges of sustaining a subscription-based communication service in a competitive market.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 6 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net アバターやカメラが自動で動くコミュニケーションアプリ「POPOPO」，2026年9月17日15：00にサービスを終了。VRM読み込み機能などをリリース
- KAI-YOU アバター通話アプリ「POPOPO」サービス終了を発表 リリースから半年で閉鎖
- Denfaminicogamer 『POPOPO』9月17日をもってサービス終了へ。「カメラのいらないテレビ電話」として今年3月にサービスを開始したアプリ
- ASCII.jp 川上量生氏が仕掛けた「POPOPO」、開始半年で終了へ
- Inside 新たな国産SNS「POPOPO」9月17日にサービス終了へ―取締役に西村博之、庵野秀明ら就任でも話題、約6か月で幕
- PANORA 【速報】POPOPO、9/17にサービス終了を発表 サービススタートから半年で