pixiv is in a capital and business alliance with VRChat, announced in September 2026, and supported VRChat's booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026 as the alliance's first step. The company continues to run BOOTH, its marketplace for 3D creators, alongside its creation tools.
pixiv has moved from years of informal collaboration with VRChat into a formal capital and business alliance. The two companies announced the deal in September 2026, with pixiv taking part in an investment. The arrangement divides work: pixiv handles creation tools and distribution, while VRChat provides the place where avatars are used. The companies say they are preparing jointly released VRChat worlds and are open to game companies bringing IP proposals.
The alliance follows about three or four years of cooperation, including a 2022 partnership that surfaced VRChat-related products on BOOTH. That history shaped how the two companies presented themselves at Tokyo Game Show 2026, where VRChat ran its first TGS booth, in Hall 8, from September 17 to 21. pixiv supported the booth as the alliance's first step, and Pixiv employees appeared in stage talks on each business day.
The messaging at the show separated the two marketplaces by depth of use. VRChat's Avatar Marketplace serves purchases that can be worn immediately, while BOOTH serves users who modify avatars themselves. That division matters because Japan is VRChat's second-largest market by players and its largest by creators, according to VRChat Head of Japan Growth Hideo Kitashoji.
What is settled is the alliance and its first public appearance at TGS. What remains open is the joint releases the companies say they are preparing and the IP proposals they say they would consider from game companies.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
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fact links the story it came from.
Oct 4
Tokyo Game Show 2026 ran from Thursday, September 17 to Sunday, September 20 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. At the VRChat booth (08-N08), stage talks were held on each business day. On the first business day, three Pixiv Inc. employees spoke in a session titled "How Was the Frenzied 3D Culture Born? BOOTH & Pixiv 3D Business Managers Discuss the History and Future of the '3D Creator Economy.'" BOOTH manager Shinichiro Sugimoto and VRoid and 3D business manager Kazuki Koga spoke, with VRoid producer Akihiro Ito moderating. On Friday, September 18, a second talk covered the pixiv and VRChat partnership, with VRChat Inc. Head of Japan Growth Hideo Kitashoji and Pixiv 3D Business Office's Shingo Iwata, facilitated by writer Kazura Asada. Pixiv and VRChat announced a capital and business alliance on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Pixiv supported the VRChat booth as the alliance's first step.
Oct 3
In September 2026, VRChat Inc. and pixiv announced a capital and business alliance that includes an investment, with the two companies saying they will deepen cooperation on the creator ecosystem around 3D avatar culture. VRChat also ran a booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, where the pixiv collaboration appeared, marking the platform's first TGS exhibit. Japan is VRChat's second-largest market and has a higher share of creators among users than other regions, according to the company. The two firms have worked together for about three or four years, including a 2022 VRChat and BOOTH partnership to surface VRChat-related products on the marketplace. pixiv handles creation tools and distribution, while VRChat provides the place where avatars are used. The companies say they are preparing jointly released VRChat worlds and are open to game companies bringing IP proposals.
Sep 19
VRChat is exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show 2026 for the first time, with a booth in Hall 8 hosting talk sessions, live screenings, and world tours from September 17 to 21. Pixiv, which announced a capital and business alliance with VRChat, appeared at the booth's business day talk session. Head of Japan Growth Hideo Kitashoji says Japan is VRChat's second-largest market by players and its largest by creators.