Personas & operators · Research record
Sequoia's own page dates its Brud bet to a 2016 seed
A federal filing and Sequoia's own company page trace Brud's funding, but neither uses the term 'Series A' or names 2018.
Read the record ↗The research room / 100 preserved records
Keep the evidence
within reach.
The longer trail behind the characters, companies and campaigns.
Preserved September 16 research corpus. Original source and retrieval dates are retained. This expansion checks navigation and presentation, not every historical claim or currently changing policy in these older records. Read the source ledger and use the newer guides for operational decisions.
100 records
Personas & operators · Research record
Aww Inc. calls itself Japan's first virtual human company
The Tokyo studio's own site names imma as a signature character within a wider AI and virtual-human business.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Temasek led Soul Machines' 2020 Series B, its own release shows
The company's January 2020 announcement names Temasek, Lakestar and Salesforce Ventures, not the pairing widely assumed.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Cameron Wilson's own account names him CEO of The Diigitals
Instagram and the studio's own site tie Shudu, Zhi and Galaxia to one agency and its founder, without confirming booking terms.
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Personas & operators · Research record
A 2018 SEC filing names Paul Budnitz as Superplastic's founder
The company's own federal filing and website tie Janky and Guggimon's studio to one founder and an October 2018 seed raise.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Superplastic's federal filings show funding rounds in 2021 and 2022
SEC Form D filings from Superplastic and four investor vehicles record a 2021 equity raise and a Pre-B SAFE round they were funding in late 2022.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Dapper Labs dated its Brud acquisition to October 2021
The NBA Top Shot company's own newsroom names Sequoia-backed Brud's leadership and a new Dapper Collectives unit.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Joerg Zuber names himself Noonoouri's creator on her own site
Noonoouri's official site and Instagram tie the illustrated 'digital muse' to one Munich studio and a 2018 debut.
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Personas & operators · Research record
LOCUS-X's own archive dates Rozy's debut to December 2020
The studio's own press log names SIDUS studio X as Rozy's original operator and records a later Naver Webtoon deal.
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Personas & operators · Research record
LG published Reah Keem's CES debut as a first-person interview
LG's own newsroom named itself as Reah Keem's operator while writing her CES 2021 introduction entirely in her voice.
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Personas & operators · Research record
STAR Labs called its CES demo artificial, kept Samsung off the booth
Neon's own site and on-site reporting show a scripted demo and a studio kept at arm's length from Samsung's name.
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Personas & operators · Research record
SM Entertainment named its own concept before aespa released a song
SM's press releases, not the group's music, are where the ae avatar concept and its terms were first set out.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Crypton runs Hatsune Miku on two licenses at once, by its own account
Crypton Future Media's own FAQ describes a dual-license system that lets fans use Miku without replacing its 2009 Japanese-language license.
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Personas & operators · Research record
Capitol's own statement, not a leak, ended its FN Meka deal
Capitol Music Group's nine-day-old FN Meka signing ended with a self-published apology naming its own review failure.
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Personas & operators · Research record
UneeQ sells the operator role, not a persona, by its own account
The company behind Nadia now describes itself as a platform other organizations use to run their own digital human characters.
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Personas & operators · Research record
An agency's own account of a difficult casting problem produced Aitana
The Clueless says it built Aitana Lopez after real bookings kept collapsing, and its earnings figures for her remain the agency's own claim.
Read the record ↗Brands & campaigns · Research record
Magazine Luiza started renting out its own mascot to other companies
Trade press quotes show Lu's move from an in-house character to a paid presence in Adidas and Globo programming.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Calvin Klein, not Miquela, answered for the Bella Hadid backlash
The brand's apology named queerbaiting concerns directly and left the character's own operator entirely out of its response.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
KFC's Instagram Colonel was always credited as an agency production
The account's own branding and its production credits show a marketing character, not a claim about a real spokesperson.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Balmain's 2018 campaign disclosed its models were computer-generated
Coverage of the Balmain Army campaign named Shudu's creator directly while real models publicly questioned what CGI casting meant for their work.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Puma fronted a regional sneaker campaign with virtual girl Maya
Two on-record interviews with Puma Southeast Asia's own marketing lead, not a Puma statement, are the fullest record of the Maya campaign and its end.
Read the record ↗Brands & campaigns · Research record
Shudu wore Fenty on her own account before her creator came forward
Archived Instagram posts, not a Fenty statement, are the primary record of Shudu's early Fenty-tagged looks and her creator's photo credit.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Shinhan Life's own channel, not an actress, fronted its 2021 ad
Shinhan Life's own videos and its studio's on-record interview establish that Rozy, a virtual human, led its 2021 campaign.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Noonoouri's own account labelled its Dior post an advertisement
Noonoouri's own Instagram and YouTube channel, not a Dior statement, are the record of her labelled Dior appearances in 2018 and 2019.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Lotte Home Shopping paired its virtual host with a film's NFT drop
Korean trade-press reports, not a Lotte statement, document how the retailer sold its virtual model Lucy as a limited NFT beside a movie tie-in.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
Samsung's own channels named Lil Miquela a #TeamGalaxy member
Samsung Philippines' own video and Miquela's own channel confirm her paid #TeamGalaxy role alongside human ambassadors in 2019.
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Brands & campaigns · Research record
PacSun's own release named Miquela a virtual-influencer partner
PacSun's own August 2022 press release, not a capsule line, is the primary record of its social-content partnership with Miquela.
Read the record ↗Brands & campaigns · Research record
Two Instagram accounts staged a public 'hack' story in April 2018
Archived posts from both accounts, not later retellings, are the record of April 2018's staged Bermuda-Miquela storyline.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
The FTC's 2023 guides add a definition for virtual influencers
The FTC's own 2023 press release and revised guide text, not a court ruling, define what now counts as an endorsement.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
The FTC's disclosure guide sets one rule for any endorser
The FTC's own Disclosures 101 guide ties material-connection disclosure to whoever posts, not to who or what appears to speak.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Meta's own branded content rule tags the deal, not the voice
Meta's Advertising Standards require a paid-partnership tag for any account promoting a business partner, virtual personas included.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Meta chose labels over removal for AI-generated content
Meta's own April 2024 post ties its Oversight Board's advice to a detection-or-disclosure labelling system for any account.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
TikTok's branded content toggle applies before the persona shows up
TikTok's own policy ties an automatic branded-content label to a pre-publish disclosure toggle, for any account type.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
YouTube's synthetic-content rule tests the video, not the host
YouTube's own November 2023 announcement ties disclosure to how realistic an upload is, with no exception for synthetic hosts.
Read the record ↗Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Korea's advertising law defines the message, not the messenger
Korea's Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising and its internet-ad guideline cover any business entity's communication, endorser type aside.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
The UK's influencer guide addresses the deal, not the presenter
CAP's influencer guide and cheat sheet frame disclosure duties around influencers, brands and agencies as a group, not by presenter type.
Read the record ↗Platforms & disclosure · Research record
China's deep-synthesis rule labels the technology, not the character
China's Deep Synthesis Provisions require prominent labelling and preserved markers for AI-generated voice, face and text services.
Read the record ↗Platforms & disclosure · Research record
The EU's ad-transparency rule names the payer, not the presenter
The Digital Services Act's Article 26 requires platforms to identify who pays for an ad, regardless of who or what appears in it.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
The FTC's fake-followers rule targets the trade, not the persona
The FTC's 2024 final rule bans selling or buying fake social media influence indicators, follower counts included, for any account.
Read the record ↗Platforms & disclosure · Research record
X folded its 2020 manipulated media rule into one policy
X's current authenticity text still separates manipulated from out-of-context media, as retrieved.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Snap's rule ties disclosure to payment, not to who posts
Snap's Commercial Content Policy requires a paid-partnership label whenever an incentive, not identity, drives a post.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Germany's ad-labelling guide sorts posts by payment, not identity
Die Medienanstalten's May 2025 guide sets label wording by who paid for a post, not by who or what appears in it.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
HypeAuditor calls its own fraud detection probabilistic
HypeAuditor's own pages describe a four-part scoring method and label detection results as estimates, not audits.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
IMH's own survey data sits beside another firm's claim
IMH's page compiles its own 2026 benchmark survey with a separate, Linqia-attributed virtual-influencer statistic.
Read the record ↗Audience & measurement · Research record
A 2021 study found AI endorsers seen as less distinct
Thomas and Fowler's Journal of Advertising study found AI influencer transgressions generalise more than human ones do.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
A vendor study found human accounts out-engaging AI ones
Twicsy's analysis, republished by HypeAuditor, found named human accounts beat named virtual personas on likes and comments.
Read the record ↗Audience & measurement · Research record
A study measured perceived human-likeness, not detection
A 2022 preregistered study found audiences rate virtual influencers as less human-like without lower engagement.
Read the record ↗Audience & measurement · Research record
Meta's ad library records what ran, not every paid deal
Meta's Ad Library shows ads that ran on its own platforms; an absent listing does not prove no payment occurred.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
A follower-selling company graded AI influencers against humans
Twicsy's own comparison, sourced to an undisclosed sample, found human influencers far outearn AI ones.
Read the record ↗Audience & measurement · Research record
A follower count on screen is a platform's claim, not an audit
Lil Miquela's and Imma's Instagram pages show follower counts Instagram itself renders, with no audit method disclosed.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
A dated report puts a number on Instagram influencer fraud
HypeAuditor's own 2022 report estimated fraud touched 49% of UK Instagram influencers it sampled in 2021.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
A market-research forecast estimates virtual-influencer spending
Grand View Research models the virtual-influencer market at billions of dollars; the figure is a forecast, not observed spending.
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Production & tools · Research record
Epic's Siren demo mixed a pre-recorded face with live capture
Epic and Vicon's own accounts show Siren's keynote reveal was pre-recorded, with genuinely live shows following at GDC.
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Production & tools · Research record
Epic's two digital-human acquisitions landed a year apart
Epic's own posts date 3Lateral's deal to January 2019 and Cubic Motion's separate deal to March 2020.
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Production & tools · Research record
Reallusion documents a pipeline, not a commercial license
Character Creator and iClone's own pages describe a character pipeline while leaving commercial-licensing terms elsewhere.
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Production & tools · Research record
Vicon's own case studies name specific digital-human clients
Vicon's published case studies credit named clients, not a general claim covering every digital-human production.
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Production & tools · Research record
Neon's own site still lists products years overdue
Samsung STAR Labs' Neon site has not updated a 2022 product roadmap, and two of its own pages no longer resolve.
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Production & tools · Research record
LG named deep learning but not a pipeline for its CES persona
LG's own newsroom credits Reah Keem to deep learning technology without detailing a modelling or voice method.
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Production & tools · Research record
UneeQ sells the platform, and clients supply the persona
UneeQ's own documentation separates its licensed Digital Human OS toolkit from any single branded character built on it.
Read the record ↗Production & tools · Research record
Soul Machines renamed its studio and its underlying technology
Soul Machines' 2019 Digital DNA branding has given way to Experiential AI on its current Soul Machines Studio page.
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Production & tools · Research record
ElevenLabs requires verified consent before cloning a voice
The company's own documentation blocks cloning someone else's voice, even with their consent, without identity verification.
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Production & tools · Research record
Rokoko names one production its suits actually captured
Rokoko's own case study credits its Smartsuit Pro to a Barcelona studio's Dulux commercial, beyond its broader client claims.
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Production & tools · Research record
Faceware documents a pipeline, not any single persona's face
Faceware's own materials describe a real-time tracking pipeline and a broad client list rather than any one named character.
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Production & tools · Research record
Daz 3D's own blog names the designer behind Shudu's build
Daz 3D credits its Genesis tooling to Cameron-James Wilson and The Diigitals by name in its own republished feature.
Read the record ↗Production & tools · Research record
Autodesk documents Maya's tools, archived after a live block
Wayback captures of Autodesk's own Maya and Arnold pages describe retargeting and skin-rendering tools, not any named persona.
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Production & tools · Research record
Adobe licenses Mixamo royalty-free but not without conditions
Adobe's own FAQ sets a royalty-free commercial licence for Mixamo alongside strict technical rules for its auto-rigger.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
Tennessee's 2024 law extends likeness protection to voice
Tennessee's ELVIS Act defines voice, creates tool-level liability, and takes effect in July 2024.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
California's 2024 law reaches AI replicas of dead performers
AB 1836 creates liability for unauthorized digital replicas of deceased performers in expressive works.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
California's 2024 law voids vague AI-replica contract clauses
AB 2602 makes a digital-replica contract clause unenforceable unless it is specific and the worker had real representation.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
New York folds digital replicas into its portrait law
New York's 2020 amendment treats a digital replica as part of a person's protected portrait under its civil rights law.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
The EU's AI Act now requires labelling deepfake content
Article 50 of the EU AI Act sets disclosure duties for AI providers and deployers, applicable since August 2026.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
China's 2023 rules tie AI content labels to an older law
China's Generative AI Measures set content duties for AI providers and route labelling through its earlier deep-synthesis rules.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
Denmark agrees to legislate against digital likeness copies
A June 2025 political agreement proposes copyright protection against unauthorized digital imitations of appearance and voice.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
South Korea's AI Basic Act sets a transparency duty
Article 31 requires AI operators to disclose generative and hard-to-distinguish outputs, in force since January 2026.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
The UK weighed AI copyright rules and chose to wait
A 2022 government response left computer-generated-works copyright unchanged and proposed a data-mining exception.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
The US Copyright Office proposes a federal replica right
A July 2024 report recommends a lifetime, licensable federal right against unauthorized digital replicas of real people.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
A Senate bill would create a federal digital replica right
The NO FAKES Act, introduced in July 2024, remains referred to committee, not enacted law.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
France's SREN law offers a defence for labelling algorithmic content
The enacted French law excuses labelled or obvious algorithmic content from a specific criminal offence.
Read the record ↗Regulation & rights · Research record
Utah ties AI disclosure duties to regulated occupations
Utah's enacted AI Policy Act sets a low disclosure bar generally and a strict one inside licensed professions.
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Regulation & rights · Research record
Illinois adds digital replicas to its publicity statute
The enacted amendment lets a recording artist's label enforce rights against unauthorised digital replicas.
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History · Research record
Kraftwerk built an authored robot image, not just a song
The band's own gallery materials credit Ralf Hutter with directing a robot identity distinct from the touring line-up.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Eidos marketed Lara Croft as a celebrity in 1997
The publisher's own press releases positioned the character as a cyber-celebrity and arranged brand cross-promotions.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Ananova's own site shows a launch that slipped by weeks
PA New Media's archived pages date a planned April 2000 debut against a beta service still running in May.
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HoriPro's own notes separate its CG idol from its voice
The agency's development notes describe a technology project quite unlike the fictional teenager it published.
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History · Research record
Gorillaz ties real certifications to named human authors
RIAA and Grammy records attach the animated band's commercial success to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett by name.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Hatsune Miku began as voice-synthesis software, not a persona
Crypton's own 2007 product listing shows a scheduled software release, with no persona business built in from the start.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Toyota's own newsroom named the Corolla campaign that used Miku
Toyota's 2011 press materials document a Corolla marketing campaign built around Hatsune Miku with agency interTrend.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Digital Domain's own account calls the Tupac effect a projection
Digital Domain describes a projected, computer-generated likeness of Tupac Shakur at Coachella, not a literal hologram.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
The earliest archived Miquela account showed no named operator
A 2016 archive of Lil Miquela's Instagram shows an active account well before Brud's name reached public reporting.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
A studio dates its own founding, and Shudu's debut, to 2017
The Diigitals' own site places its start in 2017, the year commonly given for Shudu's Instagram debut.
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History · Research record
A streaming listing turned Miquela into a recording act
Apple Music's metadata dates Lil Miquela's debut single to August 2017, extending the persona into a recorded release.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
Sega's own listing dates the first Miku game to July 2009
Sega's archived product page fixes Project DIVA's release date and Crypton's role as the character's licensor.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
A ringtone seller's own chart put a frog above pop stars
Jamba's 2005 site and the UK chart registry both recorded a ringtone-born character outselling established acts.
Read the record ↗History · Research record
A record label's tour listing made a cartoon band a headliner
Metal Blade's own 2012 tour announcement documents Adult Swim's animated band Dethklok booking a real headline tour.
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History · Research record
Two chart registries agree a cartoon act topped 1969's airwaves
Billboard and the Official Charts Company both record 'Sugar, Sugar' reaching number one for a studio-created band.
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Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Two ASA rulings found undisclosed beauty filters misleading
Two UK ASA rulings from February 2021, not a virtual-influencer case, are the closest verified precedent on undisclosed digital alteration.
Read the record ↗Platforms & disclosure · Research record
Australia's consumer regulator ties disclosure to payment
ACCC guidance says incentivised social posts must disclose that incentive, without naming virtual personas.
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Audience & measurement · Research record
Two market-size estimates for virtual influencers diverge
Two research firms model the same virtual-influencer market at similar starting points but very different 2030s forecasts.
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Production & tools · Research record
MetaHuman's commercial license now rides inside Unreal's EULA
Epic folded MetaHuman use into Unreal Engine's standard license in 2026 and open-sourced only its core libraries.
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History · Research record
Yamaha's own history puts VOCALOID three years before Miku
Yamaha dates Leon and Lola's 2004 launch precisely, ahead of Crypton's 2007 release of Hatsune Miku.
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