Blu (xanadublu)

Who is Blu (xanadublu)?

Blu is a virtual character and metaverse alter ego created and produced as part of the Xanadu project. Presented as a blue alien who lives aboard a ship called Xanadu, Blu appears as the central figure in an episodic YouTube series and in related social posts and community channels.

Blu’s public persona centers on building a do-it-yourself corner of the metaverse, mixing worldbuilding, character-driven storytelling, and technical demos that showcase real-time production techniques.

Creator & Studio

The Xanadu project and the character Blu were created by artist and technologist Cory Strassburger. Strassburger presents Xanadu as a personal production in which he writes, directs, designs and produces the episodes.

The project combines traditional film and VFX experience with real-time tools and game-engine workflows driven by a small, DIY studio approach and a community-supported channel for sharing work in progress.

Visual Style and Aesthetics

Blu is visually presented as a stylized blue alien with distinctive, otherworldly features and a playful, slightly mischievous look. The character is shown in a retro-futuristic, hand-built spaceship environment that blends sci-fi iconography with a handcrafted, patchwork production aesthetic.

Costuming and environments emphasize a mix of cinematic lighting, stylized creature design, and digital set dressing that underline the show’s DIY metaverse theme.

Content Type & Format

Blu (xanadublu)'s content is primarily episodic video storytelling published on YouTube, where the Xanadu series presents short chapters of the character's adventures. These episodes combine performance, dialogue, and cinematic scenes to advance a serialized narrative about building a virtual empire.

Blu (xanadublu)'s personality comes through in short-form social posts and behind-the-scenes updates on platforms such as Instagram and a creator membership channel that shares work-in-progress material. These posts often highlight character moments, concept art, and production snapshots.

Blu (xanadublu)'s content also includes technical and community-facing material: maker-style explanations of the production process, motion capture demonstrations, and creator notes that invite audience participation and collaboration through membership channels and community platforms.

Technical Details

The Xanadu production uses a real-time game engine workflow and motion capture to animate the character. The creator employs industry tools and pipelines associated with game-engine cinematics and metahuman-style characters to produce live-recorded performance and cinematic sequences.

Production notes from the project describe a hands-on pipeline that integrates facial capture, full-body motion capture and in-engine recording to retarget performances onto the Blu character and compose episodic scenes.

Narrative & Trivia

Blu’s in-world goal is to assemble an empire within the Xanadu metaverse. The project frames Blu as an energetic, curious figure who alternates between comic misadventure and ambitious worldbuilding.

The Xanadu universe includes supporting characters and occasional crossover ideas that expand the story world, presented alongside developer commentary and experimental media that reflect the creator’s interest in avatars and immersive storytelling.