THINKR is running a joint recruitment drive across four in-house areas, with applications for THINKR AUDITION 2026 open from October 5 to December 8, 2026, and it launched the SINGULAR LIVE streaming platform on September 5, 2026.
THINKR spent 2026 reorganizing its studio operations and opening its talent pipeline beyond KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO. On September 5, 2026, THINKR announced a studio restructuring that spun off KYOKAI STUDIO and UNKNOWN LAB from KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, and announced THINKR AUDITION 2026 the same day. Applications opened October 5 and close December 8. The audition has two categories: a Virtual Artist Category led by KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, described as its fourth such audition, and a Real Artist Category run jointly by ALLT STUDIO, KYOKAI STUDIO, and UNKNOWN LAB, which THINKR says is newly implemented. Applicants must live in Japan, hold no exclusive contract with a production company or record label, and minors need parental consent. Each applicant may enter only one category. KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO General Producer PIEDPIPER and members from all four areas judge.
Alongside the restructuring, THINKR released the SINGULAR LIVE streaming platform on September 5, 2026, the first initiative of PROJECT SINGULAR. Membership is free but required. Regular live streams, revival screenings of past performances, and a subscription tier called PRIME at 880 yen per month or 9,680 yen per year (tax included) sit alongside individual live tickets sold through TVOD. THINKR describes the platform as consolidating its lives, archives, and bonus content.
The Strange Eden project advanced on two fronts after launching in February 2026. It held its first fan meeting on August 29, 2026, at Tennei Memorial Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture, with seven cast members: Yukihiro Yoshikawa, Yuga Sato, Hidenori Takahashi, Shohei Komatsu, Shun Horie, Tomoaki Maeno, and Chiharu Shigematsu. The event featured talk segments, a reading drama, a live concert, and a cover of Yodaka ni Natte. A Karaoke Kan collaboration then ran from October 1 to November 30, 2026, with thirty stores selling six non-alcoholic drinks at 700 yen each and a singing campaign at all stores.
KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO affiliates RIM, KOKO, KAKYOIN, and HINAGESHI raised 1 million yen in donations at the U.S. charity event VTuber Summer Slam 2026, with funds going to Gamers Outreach.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Oct 5
THINKR, the company behind KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, opened applications for "THINKR AUDITION 2026" on Monday, October 5. The application period runs until Tuesday, December 8 at 23:59. The audition is the company's first across its studios and accepts entries in two categories: the Virtual Artist Category and the Real Artist Category. The Virtual Artist Category is led by KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, which has held auditions three times so far, and this round is the fourth. The Real Artist Category is run jointly by ALLT STUDIO, the newly established KYOKAI STUDIO, and UNKNOWN LAB. There are no age, gender, or nationality limits as long as the applicant lives in Japan. Applicants must not hold an exclusive contract with a production company or record label, and minors need parental consent. KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO General Producer PIEDPIPER and members from all four areas join the judging panel. Outstanding applicants receive proposals and support for activity plans, including song production and lessons toward a debut.
Sep 19
THINKR's Strange Eden project held its first fan meeting on August 29 at Tennei Memorial Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture, about half a year after launching in February 2026. Seven cast members appeared: Yukihiro Yoshikawa, Yuga Sato, Hidenori Takahashi, Shohei Komatsu, Shun Horie, Tomoaki Maeno, and Chiharu Shigematsu. The event included talk segments, a reading drama, a live concert, and a cover of Yodaka ni Natte.
Sep 17
Karaoke Kan will hold a collaboration campaign with THINKR's project STRANGE EDEN from October 1 to November 30, 2026. Thirty stores sell six non-alcoholic collaboration drinks at 700 yen each, three stores sell clear cards and 2WAY acrylic keychains using mini-character art, and a singing campaign runs at all stores. Illustrator Sako Shoji is the character designer and Makoto Sanda handles worldview setting and scenario draft.
Sep 5
THINKR announced on September 5 that it will hold THINKR AUDITION 2026, a joint recruitment drive spanning four in-house areas, with applications opening October 5. The audition follows a studio restructuring announced the same day, in which THINKR spun off KYOKAI STUDIO and UNKNOWN LAB from KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO. The two new studios join KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO and ALLT STUDIO in selecting candidates for the audition. Recruitment runs in two categories: a Virtual Artist Category, which THINKR describes as the fourth such audition led by KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO, and a Real Artist Category, newly implemented with ALLT STUDIO and the two new studios. Applicants face no age or gender restrictions, and any nationality may apply if residing in Japan, provided they hold no exclusive contract with a production company or record label. Minors need parental consent. The application period runs from October 5 to December 8, 2026, and each applicant may enter only one category. Selection involves members from all four areas, including KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO executive producer PIEDPIPER, who will form new artist projects and offer tailored activity plans such as music production and lessons.
Sep 5
THINKR Inc. released SINGULAR LIVE on September 5, a live streaming platform built for artists affiliated with the company. The service is the first initiative of PROJECT SINGULAR, the studio's announced live experience expansion project. Membership registration is free but required to use the service. Beyond regular live streams, SINGULAR LIVE handles revival screenings of past performances, letting fans who missed a show watch it later. A subscription tier called PRIME costs 880 yen per month or 9,680 yen per year, both tax included, and adds priority access to live ticket sales plus benefits such as online lives that were previously streamed for free. Individual live tickets are sold through TVOD, a pay-per-view model. THINKR, a production studio whose business covers IP development, artist production, management, XR LIVE, and creative production, said it aims to build an environment where fans can keep enjoying content, and described the platform as a theater experience that consolidates its own lives, archives, and bonus content rather than a simple streaming site.
Jul 2
Four KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO affiliated artists-RIM, KOKO, KAKYOIN, and HINAGESHI-participated in the U.S. charity event VTuber Summer Slam 2026, raising 1 million yen in donations through special streams. The funds go to Gamers Outreach to provide gaming experiences to hospitalized children.