So after reading all of this, talking with other users and my own community. This is where we think this is going to be facing some major problems that will stifle the growth and usefulness of this feature:
- Currently it does not appear you will be allowing creators to download assets for fashion creators and remixers.
- You do not seem to have a plan to allow these fashion creators or remixers to upload their content with a prerequisite to purchase another avatar.
- You are not allowing free avatars
- PC Users are feeling this may be only for Quest users
- Your content guidelines to not direct users to where they can purchase source files, while not offering them, seems misaligned.
- You are not allowing NSFW avatars, which will be less appealing to creators who sell their content on other sites and their customers. As much as I don’t like NSFW stuff myself plaguing vrchat, it doesn’t mean I think it should be gone. I think that stuff should remain private, and am all for that kind of privacy. But it is also a major thing people come to this platform for, so it can’t be avoided. By not allowing NSFW, people would rather still go through the process of purchasing from other sites and not from the marketplace.
- Your marketing is treating all source files the same. To most store fronts there are two types of files that meet this definition: “Unity Asset Bundles” and “Artist Source files such as blender files and psds”. Other platforms faced the same issue, and almost made the same mistake of not offering the artist source files. To their success, the artists on these platforms realized they would have to offer these. But you offer no way to do so.
- Numerous individuals have mentioned that the cut that is taken out of vr credits is very high, and will only drive up prices to the point that the convenience isn’t worth it. Especially if source materials are not offered.
Nice to haves, would encourage more users to use this:
- Redemption codes
I think this feature is not fully there yet. And if released as is, in it’s incomplete state, it will not workout. It is an idea that needs to happen and should have been there a long time ago. But when you release it and it’s offering less than your competitors and only banking on convenience, the convenience is meaningless.
It has also been discussed, that a Potential way to make a remixing system easier to implement, is by splitting components of the avatar into different asset bundles. This can be done transparently by the SDK. In specific meshes should be split into different asset bundles. This would then allow for a user to sell remixes or fashion that can be added to the base/dependent avatar.
(I will be updating this as I hear / read more feedback)
The tl;dr
9/10ths of the avatar creation market is fashion and gimmick designers, and the current setup for the market has no support for those creators. Users find their expression and originality through this content, without this, the avatar market will feel cheap and sterile.
Due to this, a lot of customers heavily desire having access to the artist source materials, should they want to use their avatar on other platforms.
I feel that the money spent on avatars through this system is going to be a short burst until people realize there’s no value in their purchases. And if released as is, it’s going to give a bad and long lasting impression of the feature, stifling it’s success.