Disney over the last decade has expanded itself by acquiring numerous high profile brands and testing other content mediums. With the announcement of a new account that strongly indicates something to do with streaming, it seems that Disney might finally be throwing its hat into the streaming ring.
Streaming has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in recent years, due to its emphasis on streamer and audience interaction, and the live-factor of its content. From video game playing and tier-list making, to—more bizarrely—hot tub broadcasts and ASMR streams, there is no end to the variety of content that comes from streaming. The greatest development in the streaming field though is the rise of virtual YouTubers, also known as Vtubers. Often anime-inspired in design, these avatars are characters unto themselves, and are usually entirely separate from the original streamer, some going as far as to replace them entirely.
Recently, a new Twitter account titled "The Streamer" has emerged and is being promoted by Disney, naturally leading to speculation about what its play is here. The account's only post is an announcement for a stream happening today at 3PM PT on Twitter, where "The Streamer" will be revealed. Cheekily, the branding of the "The Streamer" has to do with literal streams, with the tagline "Ready to stream the stream?" setting the tone for whatever this may be. This post also links to a website that redirects to Disney Plus, suggesting that "The Streamer" may be directly affiliated with Disney's already massive official streaming service.
Fan speculation that Disney may be announcing a Vtuber comes from the ambiguity of the name itself. On one hand, this could just be the title of an account dedicated to streaming Disney related games and products, with the reveal being just the official announcement of the service. On the other hand, though, "The Streamer" implies that this could be about a single individual or character, who would be moderating Disney related streams, potentially in the form of a Vtuber. Considering the track record of Disney's risk taking like with the MCU and Star Wars, there is potential here for this to be something unexpected and special.
If "The Streamer" does in fact become a Vtuber, the floodgates will open for potential characters who could be running the stream. Just as Sega recently made its mascot Sonic a Vtuber, Disney could easily turn Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy, really, any of its characters into avatars for its stream. It would surely be pretty surreal watching Mickey play Fortnite or any other massively popular game, but further, it would simply be a neat opportunity for fans to just talk with these characters. Fortunately, with the stream happening today, fans will not have to wait too long for Disney to show its hand.