DJ RIO Steps Down as REALITY Representative After Eight Years
REALITY is handing its public-facing communication to a product and community manager while a sitting director takes the presidency, so the founder's exit changes who speaks for the app rather than only who signs off on it.
Key Facts
- REALITY Inc. announced on September 30 that representative DJ RIO, also named Eiji Araki, will step down.
- DJ RIO launched the company and the REALITY app in 2018 and led it for eight years as president.
- REALITY marked its eighth anniversary in 2026 and surpassed 20 million downloads worldwide.
- Current director Kohei Mori will take over as the new president of REALITY Inc.
- IKURA, the Product Department Manager and Community Manager, will communicate REALITY's policies to users from October.
Reporting from 2 sources: MoguLive, PANORA.
REALITY Inc. representative DJ RIO, whose name is Eiji Araki, will step down from his post, the company announced on September 30. He launched both the company and the virtual live streaming app REALITY in 2018 and led it for eight years as president. The resignation coincides with the end of his term at parent company GREE Group. REALITY marked its eighth anniversary this year and passed 20 million downloads worldwide. The company said the business is now self-sustaining and that a team able to run the service on its own has grown. Araki said he chose the timing because REALITY would be more interesting with the next generation at the center rather than the founder. From October, IKURA, the Product Department Manager and Community Manager, will speak to users about REALITY's policies. Current director Kohei Mori becomes the new president. Araki plans to continue using REALITY as an ordinary user.
Araki's ties to the avatar business go back about 20 years, when he worked on avatar features for the social media service GREE. He framed his departure as a choice about the next generation rather than a break with the product, and he said he wants to attend REALITY CON at Makuhari Messe on October 17 as one participant.
The company's stated reason for the timing is that the service can now stand on its own and that a team capable of moving it forward has formed. A successor for the presidential role was named at the same time: current director Kohei Mori. IKURA, who holds the Product Department Manager and Community Manager roles, will be the person in front of users communicating policy from October.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.