>>74984977Because according to empirical evidence, it "should" sell.
Nijisanji is historically one of the biggest corporations in the Virtual Youtubing industry. When you're a company of that scale, it is typical for decisions to be informed through research and gathering data/evidence. I am not doing any of that to substantiate my claim, I'm only using this truth to make my point.
The point: NIjisanji is seeing that their biggest competitor in the industry, Hololive, gaining a lot of things through concerts. They are gaining community goodwill, earning profits, and establishing a good position in the public eye. They accomplish all this by leaning into their niche of virtual idols. The numbers don't lie: despite being an older titan, Nijisanji is having its top talents beaten in many aspects by Hololive JP's big names. Suisei has a public stranglehold on "what the pinnacle of a virtual youtuber musician should look like" while Pekora and Gura have claimed their respective positions at the top of subscriber numbers. Some other anon will probably correct me or substantiate me with real numbers.
All of this is to say: Nijisanji is looking at the success of their biggest competitor and realizing they could be making money in that same niche. However, to achieve this, they are faced with the realization that they will be playing catch-up. Hololive is founded on their theme and has remained true to it, and trying to compete with them in their ballpark means trying to send their talents into this same space.
My personal opinion is that Niji realized this partway through the EN branch's lifespan. Someone in the higher branches of management and administration probably thought they could start encroaching on Holo's position when they realized they were sitting on a bunch of utaites and singers. But they decide to commit to this direction too late because they terminated the contract of the one Vtuber that would have essential to pursuing this line: Yugo. If you look at the other terminations and graduations sans Zaion and Pomu, the other big members that were let go are not essential to the singing and music aspect of the branch. Selen, Nina, and Mysta are not all singers. They were excellent streamers in other areas, but their lack of skill and experience in this one area makes it difficult to justify their inclusion in meetings with staff about anything music-related. While their lack of singing skill was not a principal factor in letting them go, I can guarantee it didn't help them with staying on, either.
A lot of it is a big mistake, to begin with. Nijisanji shouldn't be centering around music at all, to begin with. They were always the agency that was "open to anyone and everyone". This was further cemented when Hololive came around and the difference became "idols vs. average people". Nijisanji attempting to lean into music now is a mix of the talents that continue to stay with the company and the fact they're finally losing their strong footing in the industry.
A lot of the remaining NIji EN members are singers. But only singers, and not much else. They may be entertaining in their own ways and in their own right to certain people, but none of the remaining members can strike out on their own in interesting ways. Selen and Nina attempted to create variety content that no one else in EN dared to spearhead, and mostly because their strengths lie elsewhere. Pomu, while a good singer in her own right, contained a lot of heart and passion that infected the branch with the positivity needed to keep up the Nijifamily image. Mysta was, well, Mysta.
Long and short of it: Niji is trying to lean into music to chase the slice of pie Hololive baked for years and is now enjoying. Holo is enjoying the longer-term benefits of its choices back then, and Nijisanji continues to be as short-sighted as its CEO.
