The cosplay community has suffered from major setbacks due to the lack of convention season caused by COVID-19. Not only has the community had monetary setbacks, but the community has also been ripe with drama due to the lack of in-person interaction.

Because of the sudden influx of new cosplayers joining the community due to the pandemic, cosplayers who had already established their brand and community have been facing new struggles trying to find new followers and sponsorships.  

“We saw a large push of new people joining an already pretty saturated market. Before quarantine, anyone would say that someone like Jessica Nigri or Belle Delphine was running the show. But now it’s not like that. No one is specifically the face of cosplay because there are just so many cosplay influencers now. So financially, we all suffered from this influx as well as the lack of sponsorship opportunities because there are just so many people,” said Calgary-based cosplayer Max Beattie.

The lack of sponsorships hasn’t been the only issue cosplayers have had with making a wage to live off of. Most cosplayers also work other jobs or have online shops that have suffered due to the pandemic.

“I used to use my cosplay skills in my full-time job that I got laid off of. I got hired about a month into quarantine from another company only to be let go a month later from their lack of need of me. Otherwise, I had an Etsy store to sell small crafted items. Sales went way down from the lack of conventions and I pretty much stopped getting commissions. Lack of money I guess,” said cosplayer and seamstress Hailey DeClerck.

Not only has there been a lack of sponsorships and a rise in monetary issues due to COVID-19, but cosplayers have also seen a rise in drama in online settings such as Twitter and Instagram.

“I noticed conflicts rise mostly during the first two months as if people went stir crazy like in The Shining,” Said Hailey DeClerck, “We all needed the community aspect this year, but we couldn’t get it. I think it did more damage to the community than anyone wants to talk about.”

The conflicts have ranged from defamation to rape allegations all in the name of trying to gain influence and relevance that they normally would have gotten from conventions, panels, and photoshoots.  Friendships and business contacts have been destroyed all in the name of gaining and keeping influence.

“The cosplay community had been really rough due to COVID. People who were friends are publicly destroying each other via Twitter for no reason. I honestly think that people are forgetting that their friends are human beings rather than text on screens,” Said Max Beattie.

Fortunately, not everything has been bad in the community. With the influx of new cosplayers due to COVID-19, some people who run their businesses making costumes and props for cosplayers have seen some financial success in the midst of all the disarray.

People who craft costumes have had to get creative in the things they make in order to attract new customers and keep old ones.  

“There has been a boom in the cosplay community. While this, on a strictly business side, creates more competition, it also boosts creativity and advancement, as you have more people discovering new things,” said Kaiden Durham, a cosplayer and businessman.

So with the influx of new cosplayers as well as drama within the community, the situation appears to be stressful for people within the cosplay community. Only time will tell us whether or not the community will heal or if it will need to be rebuilt from the ground up once conventions and face-to-face contact with supporters and each other are possible again.