Editing Simon Fraser University (section)

==Virtual Ambassadors==
[[File:SFU_Virtual_Ambassadors.png|thumb|An illustration of SFU Studio SIAT's Virtual Ambassadors, created by the studio and featured on their website. From left to right: Mo Ayato, Faye Ayato, and Cappu (bottom).]]In August 2024, the university's School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) announced an initiative in partnership with Sawmill Studios to create its first-ever "Virtual Ambassadors" in order to represent and engage with the SFU community.<ref>Nadalini, David. “SFU Holding Auditions for First Virtual Ambassadors.” CityNews Vancouver, 28 Sept. 2024, [https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/ vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/].</ref> These Virtual Ambassadors, both [[Online streamer|livestreamers]], would be functionally identical to [[VTuber|VTubers]].<ref name=":3">“Virtual Ambassadors.” ''Virtual Ambassadors - School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [http://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> Auditions for the talent opened that September.<ref>Nadalini, David. “SFU Holding Auditions for First Virtual Ambassadors.” CityNews Vancouver, 28 Sept. 2024, [https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/ vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/].</ref> Composed of two virtual mascots, Mo Ayato (操斗モォ)<ref>"Mo Ayato.” ''School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [http://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/mo-ayato.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/mo-ayato.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref>  and Faye Ayato (操斗フェイ),<ref>“Faye Ayato.” ''School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [https://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/faye-ayato.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/faye-ayato.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> the duo debuted on March 1st, 2025, livestreaming both separately and together on the SIAT YouTube channel. Their primary activities involved giving feedback to student work from the SIAT program, as well as promoting the SFU's values, courses, and facilities.<ref>Nadalini, David. “SFU Holding Auditions for First Virtual Ambassadors.” CityNews Vancouver, 28 Sept. 2024, [https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/ vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/burnaby-sfu-virtual-ambassadors-auditions/].</ref> The initiative was billed as grant-funded research, employing [[motion capture]] technology to create full [[3D modeling|3D models]] of the Virtual Ambassadors and a chance for students to work in a professional motion capture studio environment.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">Studio SIAT. “Canada’s FIRST University Vtubers, Mo & Faye 【SFU SIAT VTuber Debut - Animated Lore Trailer】.” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s].</ref>

In promotional material, the university has referred to the duo as "Canada's first university Vtubers",<ref>Studio SIAT. “Canada’s FIRST University Vtubers, Mo & Faye 【SFU SIAT VTuber Debut - Animated Lore Trailer】.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s].</ref> or alternatively, "The world's first university Vtubers". The characters were said to have come from a magical [[fantasy]] world to SFU in order to study at SIAT. Mo Ayato was characterised as "formerly a magical red panda-esque beast known as a Cappu, is now a carefree and silly human(?)." <ref>"Mo Ayato.” ''School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [http://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/mo-ayato.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/mo-ayato.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref>. On the other hand, Faye Ayato was said to be "a [[Postgraduate education|graduate studies student]] before he leapt through the portal, unfortunately, his course credits did not follow him to Earth." <ref>“Faye Ayato.” ''School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [https://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/faye-ayato.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program/faye-ayato.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> An animated trailer would expand on this backstory, showing Faye opening a portal to Earth and the two fleeing their homeland, where they suffered discrimination from a system that favoured those with magic powers over those without. Arriving inside of SFU Surrey's motion capture studio, Studio SIAT, the trailer shows Mo transforming from her Cappu form into her human one, after which the two would take on the name "Ayato" from the pronunciation of the "IAT"  in "Studi''o'' S''IAT''".<ref>Studio SIAT. “Canada’s FIRST University Vtubers, Mo & Faye 【SFU SIAT VTuber Debut - Animated Lore Trailer】.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s].</ref>

=== Promotional Campaign ===
On January 24th, 2025, an [[Alternate Reality Game]] launched on the SIAT website, with a video<ref name=":1">Studio SIAT. “Breakthrough.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 18 Jan. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50r-W-UP20k&ab_channel=SIATSFU www.youtube.com/watch?v=50r-W-UP20k&ab_channel=SIATSFU].</ref> being embedded to the page<ref>“Studiosiat - a Production Studio for Siat.” ''StudioSIAT - A Production Studio for SIAT - School of Interactive Arts & Technology - Simon Fraser University'', [https://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat.html www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat.html]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> in which the yet-to-be-revealed Faye Ayato encourages viewers to help him "open a portal connecting your world to mine". Posters with [[QR code|QR codes]] linking to further videos would be shared online through [[Discord]] communities such as the SFU, [[University of British Columbia|UBC]], and [[Emily Carr University of Art and Design|ECUAD]] Anime Clubs, as well as in-person, with QR codes on pawprint-shaped cutouts being posted around SFU's Surrey Campus. Posters that were shared online would also feature an illustration of the tops of the Virtual Ambassador's heads, giving the world its first look at the new mascots.<ref>Studio SIAT. Help us build a link between our worlds. 11 Feb. 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DF9VO37RXUE/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.</ref>

On February 23rd, 2025, a teaser trailer was released on the Studio SIAT YouTube channel,<ref>Studio SIAT. “Teaser of a Trailer.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 23 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LC44IjmIo www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LC44IjmIo].</ref> revealing full-body images of Mo and Faye Ayato for the first time. An "Animated Lore Trailer" <ref>Studio SIAT. “Canada’s FIRST University Vtubers, Mo & Faye 【SFU SIAT VTuber Debut - Animated Lore Trailer】.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s].</ref> was released on Youtube and promoted on SFU's website two days later, on February 25th, 2025. The trailer was a collaboration between both SIAT students and university students from across Canada, with J Tseng <ref>''J Tseng Linkedin Profile'', [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydesignstuff/ www.linkedin.com/in/jaydesignstuff/]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> and Trisha Wong,<ref>''Trisha Wong Linkedin Profile'', [https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishachockiewong/ www.linkedin.com/in/trishachockiewong/]. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.</ref> both staff at SFU SIAT and Narratic Labs, producing and directing respectively. Tseng stated in a [[Reddit]] post <ref>Tseng, J. ''A Trailer for Our Vtubers by a Team of Mostly First Time Animators.'', 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/animation/comments/1iy94wr/a_trailer_for_our_vtubers_by_a_team_of_mostly/ www.reddit.com/r/animation/comments/1iy94wr/a_trailer_for_our_vtubers_by_a_team_of_mostly/].</ref> how the team was comprised of mostly junior animators, with Wong adding that the main inspiration for the trailer was the work of [[Makoto Shinkai]].<ref>Wong, Trisha. ''Ain’t No Way a Canadian University Got Official Vtubers before GTA6'', 18 Feb. 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/VirtualYoutubers/comments/1iswsg1/comment/mdkpi7c/ www.reddit.com/r/VirtualYoutubers/comments/1iswsg1/comment/mdkpi7c]/.</ref> Simultaneously, the SFU website was updated with a section to prominently feature the virtual ambassadors,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Virtual Ambassadors |url=https://www.sfu.ca/siat/studiosiat/vambassador-program.html |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.sfu.ca |language=en}}</ref> introducing Mo and Faye Ayato with a series of illustrations showing them interacting with various SIAT facilities. The illustrations were also created entirely by Canadian university students. Alongside the two Virtual Ambassadors, a third red panda-like character called a Cappu, representing the audience,<ref>Agonoy, Jay. “Mo and Faye Ayato of SFU Siat: Isekai’ed into the Campus.” ''VTuber NewsDrop'', VTuber NewsDrop, 15 Mar. 2025, [https://vtubernewsdrop.com/spotlight-studio-siat-mo-faye-ayato/ vtubernewsdrop.com/spotlight-studio-siat-mo-faye-ayato/]. </ref> was also introduced.<ref name=":3" /> On February 27th, a third video was released on the Studio SIAT Youtube Channel, revealing key art for the characters and employing motion graphics featuring the pre-existing illustrations of Mo and Faye, introducing more of their personalities.<ref>Studio SIAT. “Meet Mo & Faye Ayato! Meet Project Acorn!【SFU SIAT VTuber Trailer 2】.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Feb. 2025, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bDt7aBurv0 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bDt7aBurv0].</ref>

=== Reception ===
The Virtual Ambassadors debuted to much fanfare, according to City News Vancouver.<ref>Nadalini, David. “Simon Fraser University Launches First Virtual Ambassadors.” CityNews Vancouver, 3 Mar. 2025, vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/03/03/sfu-virtual-ambassador-launch/.</ref> Reactions to the Virtual Ambassadors were mostly positive, with commenters on the Animated Lore Trailer praising the fluidity of the animation and background illustration, and affirming the comparison to Shinkai. Enthusiasm was also expressed about the personalities of the Virtual Ambassadors.<ref name=":4" /> SFU's official news page praised the trailer, calling it "stunning".<ref name=":0" /> Other reactions were mixed, with some commenters remarking that they believed the Virtual Ambassador Program was a waste of tuition money. Art director Trisha Wong corrected some of these claims, stating that the project was "funded by external grants specifically for giving student artists the opportunity to work on professional client work and entrepreneurial experience".<ref>Studio SIAT. “Canada’s FIRST University Vtubers, Mo & Faye 【SFU SIAT VTuber Debut - Animated Lore Trailer】.” ''YouTube'', YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIH_w3t5IDU&t=1s].</ref>