Animaze Update 1.27.12711
Hello Awesome People!
We have always believed that digital self-expression should be accessible, fun, and creatively empowering. From Facerig in 2014 to Animaze in 2025, our mission has been to open new roads, inspire, and give anyone the tools to become anything on camera – no matter who they are or where they're streaming from. Idealistically, we pursued doing that in a more challenging way, with its own render tech, not tied to a large corporation's gaming engine. Your avatars, your streams, and your creativity are the reason Animaze exists, are independent, and Fluffo and friends have a digital home.
Today, we need to share an important update that ensures Animaze can continue to exist.
Over the past 2 years, maintaining development, server infrastructure, support, and updates has become increasingly challenging. We are a tiny team, and our financial situation has reached a point where continuing under the current structure would eventually put Animaze at risk. We want to move forward, not wind down. We believe Animaze has a long future ahead – but to secure that future, we need to make a change.
With this update, free-tier sessions will be limited to 45 minutes per session, similar to what is happening on video conferencing platforms. All paid tiers will remain unlimited, unaffected, and continue to receive all full-feature access.
This was not an easy decision. Before this update, the free tier had no session limit, as it was deployed more on a social impact angle than a financially self-sustaining endeavor. That is why it never had any significant monetisation attached to it, neither data collection-based nor any ads.
We maintained that model for as long as we possibly could. But for Animaze to keep growing, to expand character features, improve tracking, fix bugs faster, build better tools, release more avatars, and actually deliver on the roadmap – we have to ensure the platform can sustain itself, and the costs we incur each month associated with the free tier are not currently being covered.
We know many of you rely on Animaze for streaming, content creation, VTubing, meetings, or just for fun and self-expression. If Animaze has been part of your voice online, we invite you to consider upgrading to a paid plan. Every subscription directly supports development, keeps our team working, and ultimately keeps Animaze alive for everyone. The 20 USD yearly cost for a regular sub we trust is not challenging anyone's yearly budget.
By upgrading to a paid tier, you help us:
- Bring back active development to a higher pace, instead of slowing or halting it
- Release new avatars, assets, tech improvements, and features faster • Ensure long-term stability so creators can rely on Animaze for years to come
- Keep a 45-minute free tier available for new users discovering avatar self-expression
- And last but not least: ensure that an independent platform for self-expression and free speech, that does not have to rely on render engines controlled by large corporations, like Unity and Unreal, continues to exist
If you love Animaze, if you want to see it evolve, if you want Fuffo to be around tomorrow, your support now matters more than ever.
For those who upgrade, thank you. You are directly powering the future of this platform.
For those who continue using the free tier, thank you as well – we hope Animaze still offers you value, creativity, and joy in every casual 45-minute session.
Over the last 11 years, we have worked to carry forward this tech in a way that is independent of larger corporations, stays accessible, and is unintrusive. With respect, transparency, and hope, we’re asking for your help now so we can carry Animaze even further.
Rokoko Support
Today's update also brings support for Rokoko's Studio motion capture output (body, hands, and face) via the VMC input layer, so the professional teams working with motion capture suits have more options now to bring their experiences to the stage using Animaze avatars and Rokoko motion capture hardware. Aniamze has been part of a very exciting initiative to revive muppet/puppet theatrical production with avatars, and we can't wait to see where this leads.
That is all for this update!
With respect, transparency, and hope for Fluffo's future,
Dragos, Catalin, and Alex.
