Hi everyone!
This is the IRIAM US team.
This month's Dev Diary is a little longer than usual. Two milestones are coming to IRIAM US this fall. One is in October: streaming opens to everyone. The other is in November: IRIAM US turns two. This issue is mostly about the first, with a small preview of the second at the end.
First, the biggest news.
With the late-October update (planned for October 20), anyone with their own character model will be able to start streaming on IRIAM, without an application or interview.
When we first introduced IRIAM in the US in 2024, the last item on our roadmap was the Official Launch: the point where anyone can start streaming on IRIAM without going through a special review. With the October update, we finally get there!
Some of you may remember that roadmap. Others may be a little surprised, or a little unsure about what it means for you. So let us walk through where this came from.
What IRIAM US has built
IRIAM has had one big goal that has never changed. Put simply: we want to bring the joy of streaming as a character, and the joy of the communities that form around it, to more people.
IRIAM US has been walking toward that goal with you, one step at a time. At launch in 2024, we started with a small group who could stream as Founding Streamers. Then we began welcoming more Streamers through Early Access, which continues today, and we started the Debut Support Program for people who want to stream but need help getting a character ready.
We didn't open streaming to everyone from day one because we wanted to build what makes IRIAM US itself, steadily. Talking with each person in interviews. Meeting face to face at real-life events like OffKai. Listening on Discord and in surveys. Watching the numbers that show up inside the app closely. Through that dialogue, we chose to build the foundation together with a community that cared deeply.
And now, almost two years after beta launch, that foundation has been built by the hands of Streamers and Viewers in the US and Canada. Today there are many communities inside IRIAM US, and a culture and atmosphere that is IRIAM US's own has taken root.
Communities that warmly welcome a Streamer's very first stream. People who met for the first time at a real-life event, laughing together like old friends. That particular tension before an in-app event. Toilets and hearts flying across a stream.
None of this happens overnight. Your everyday life here created a new culture.
IRIAM US's next step
Seeing all of you, and the energy of each community online and offline, we've heard "I want to stream on IRIAM" more and more often.
But the number of those voices isn't why we decided it's time. What we were waiting for wasn't a number of Streamers or Viewers, or a date on the calendar. It was for IRIAM US to be standing firmly on its own feet. Now it is. So we believe it's time to open the door that "applications and review" kept closed, and move to a place where anyone can stream.
What changes with the October update
For someone who already has their own character model, starting to stream on IRIAM will come down to one thing: completing the tutorial missions inside the IRIAM app. There will be no application or interview to start streaming.
The tutorial missions walk you through the basics of IRIAM: watching a stream, commenting, sending a Gift. Before you start streaming, we'd like you to first spend time with the Streamers and Viewers already enjoying it here. That wish is part of why we set this condition. We may adjust it after October as we see how things go.
- New applications for Early Access Streamer close around late October. After the October update, there's no need to apply to start streaming. If you've already applied or are in the interview process, please continue as you are.
- The Debut Support Program continues. It supports people who want to stream but don't have a model, and we've seen how much it's appreciated and needed. We'd also like to explore other paths to getting your own model, for example by working with illustration commission services.
What doesn't change with the October update
First, reports and how we respond to them. Is someone's rights being violated? Is someone impersonating another person? Is the person streaming old enough to be here? On matters like these that touch our terms, we'll keep responding with the same standards, in good faith. Creating an environment where people can stream with peace of mind is one of the IRIAM team's high-priority themes, and we'll keep working on it from many angles. As one example, from October we plan to strengthen the team so we can respond to inquiries faster.
Second, our stance on IRIAM's growth. Opening streaming to more people is not a plan to expand IRIAM rapidly. We don't expect Streamer numbers to jump in a short time, and we're not trying to make that happen. We still believe the best thing is for IRIAM's circle to grow steadily, and we want to stay sensitive to change through dialogue with the community. Letting people start streaming without an application is less about widening the circle and more about making the entrance natural.
There's one thing the IRIAM team firmly believes: streaming as a character, and the communities it creates, have the power to change lives for the better. If you're reading this, you probably feel it too.
We keep running IRIAM because we want to bring that experience to as many people as we can. Removing the application and review step, and getting closer to a place where you can start streaming when you want to, is an important step toward that goal.
A big welcome to the Streamers and Viewers who will join IRIAM from here. And even more than that, our deepest gratitude and respect to the community that built IRIAM US.
And on to November
We're planning to make that month a celebration, and we'll share more as it takes shape.
You may have noticed the first sign already: with the latest update, the IRIAM app icon switched to its anniversary look. It stays that way until the anniversary season is over. For now it's just the icon. More will follow, one piece at a time, on the way to November. 🎉
We'll share the details of the opening that didn't fit in this article before the October update.
IRIAM US has come this far because of you, the people who love IRIAM and grew this culture with us. Thank you.
We hope you'll keep building IRIAM with us in the phase that comes next!
Until the next entry,
— IRIAM US Team
