wata23
I would like to suggest an optional Marketplace-backed licensed customization workflow for avatars.
The key point is that legitimate buyers could customize and upload Marketplace avatars without receiving the original avatar source files as ordinary local files. The original data would not need to be downloaded into the buyer's Unity project or stored on the user's PC as editable assets such as Unity packages, FBX files, or texture sets. Instead, it could be accessed, previewed, assembled, or processed through a VRChat-controlled Marketplace / SDK pipeline during customization and upload.
Many VRChat avatars are sold through external stores such as Booth and Gumroad, where buyers receive full editable data. This is important because many users buy avatars to customize them in Unity, Blender, or Substance Painter. However, distributing full source data also makes casual unauthorized redistribution, resale, and re-uploading easier, which can discourage creators.
VRChat's Avatar Marketplace is safer for creators because it does not distribute source files in the same way, but it may not fully serve users who want to customize an avatar before uploading it. External stores are flexible but risky for creators, while the Marketplace is safer but more limited for customization.
Please consider an optional workflow connected to the Avatar Marketplace and the VRChat SDK:
- Marketplace ownership is verified in the SDK / Creator Companion.
- Purchased avatars can be previewed and customized through an official workflow.
- Users may add local assets, such as accessories, textures, or animations.
- The final upload is built through a VRChat-controlled pipeline.
This is not a request to replace existing custom uploads, external stores, or source-file workflows. Those should continue to exist. This should be an additional option for creators and buyers who prefer a more protected Marketplace-based workflow.
This is different from simply asking the Marketplace to distribute source files. The goal is to let legitimate buyers customize and upload Marketplace avatars while reducing casual redistribution of raw source data.
This would not completely stop piracy. Modified SDKs, cache extraction, client-side extraction, and ripping may still exist. The goal is not to fully lock down avatar data, but to make unauthorized resale and casual redistribution harder.
This could create a middle path between fully closed Marketplace avatars and fully distributed source files.