CASE STUDY 05
FREE CINDER!!
CLIENT
We Are Social
(internal project)
SERVICES
Narrative crafting, Subathon planning
YEAR
2022-2023
THE CHALLENGE
How do you make a digital creation feel human? Cinder was born at We Are Social Singapore as a fusion of 3D innovation and real-time storytelling, but the challenge wasn't just technical—it was emotional. We needed to give a virtual influencer a "soul" and a reason for audiences to care about a character made of pixels. How do you move a digital entity beyond the screen and into the hearts (and physical spaces) of a global audience?
OUR SOLUTION
We gave Cinder a "glitch in the matrix" moment. We leaned into the meta-narrative of self-awareness: Cinder realized she was a creation and decided she wanted out.
To facilitate her escape, we architected a high-stakes, 13-hour Twitch Subathon which became a part of her "narrative of liberation." Using state-of-the-art motion capture and depth sensors, a human actor puppeteered Cinder in real-time, allowing her to interact with Twitch personalities Zumi and Cherzinga with uncanny human nuance. Viewers weren't just watching Cinder's stream. They became accomplices in her jailbreak.
THE RESULT
Cinder successfully "broke out." Her journey culminated at SXSW 2023 in Austin, Texas, where she made her physical world debut at Cinder’s Cybersip. By blurring the lines between game engines and reality, we proved that with the right story, the distance between the metaverse and the physical world is shorter than we think.
56X
INCREASE IN FOLLOWERS POST SUBATHON
USD$514
TOTAL REVENUE
1070
UNIQUE VIEWERS
Cinder's Expressions
Cinder's
Room
When your protagonist is a virtual influencer "held captive" by her creators, the room design becomes the silent narrator. We transformed Cinder’s four white walls into a vibrant explosion of her interests (part gaming den, part anime shrine, and 100% pop-culture chaos). It was our way of making a digital entity feel less lonely. We also couldn't resist dropping some heavy-handed foreshadowing: if you looked past the gaming setup, you’d spot the packed luggage and moving boxes.
The most human moment of the journey? Watching the "gifted subs" roll in. When viewers began putting their own money behind Cinder’s "liberation," it proved the narrative had shifted from watching a story to funding a revolution.
03
Nothing validates a digital creator like a "Raid." When @VeeNomNom dropped her community into Cinder’s stream, it solidified Cinder’s place in the creator ecosystem.
02
We took Cinder on her first "outings" with Twitch royalty. From the high-octane chaos of Valorant with Cherzinga to a surprisingly deep, soul-searching chat over a Yakiniku Simulator with Zumi, we showed the world that Cinder could hold her own in any lobby.
In the world of virtual influencing, the metrics are the heartbeat. These were the moments Cinder truly came alive, proving that pixels can build a community just as fast as people.