In context: In Japan, hostess clubs are a part of the country's culture, blending tradition with heavy drinking and catering to businessmen seeking to entertain clients or associates. These nightclubs are staffed mainly by women and provide a unique atmosphere where hostesses pour drinks and engage in conversation to make patrons feel good.

A Japanese "Overwatch Hostess Club" account was recently banned, only to be replaced by another one for Apex Legends. The clubs are raising eyebrows with their overtly adult-oriented services. The new account, dubbed "Apex Kyabakura," (Apex Cabaret Club) has already amassed nearly 2,000 followers and is offering a range of services that blur the lines between gaming and, well, something else entirely.

The now-defunct Overwatch Hostess Club account was likely shut down for violating Blizzard's terms of service. However, its Apex Legends counterpart is making no bones about the nature of its services, which range from chatting while gaming to rather creative uses for controller vibration functions.

"Please use it at these times: When you want to play games while talking to a girl or when two guys are playing games and want a girl in between," reads an excerpt from the post.

The speed at which the Apex Legends Hostess Club emerged after the removal of the previous account is amusing. It's unclear whether the same individuals are behind both accounts, but the similarities in their business models and anime-style profile pictures make it a strong possibility.

A follow-up post from Apex Kyabakura says that users have flooded it with requests for services, which raises questions about how long it can remain active. There's a good chance EA will try to block it because of its adult material.

The same post also reveals the pricing structure for these services, with the decentralized meme coin "nyan" as the mode of payment. Players can pay for 30-minute "basic play" sessions, with options to extend or upgrade to more. Like for instance, the "fall asleep" service that lasts 120 minutes will set the patron back by 4000 nyan.

Whatever those numbers mean, not everyone's satisfied with them.

"I would like the basic gameplay to include sleep and hidden options," demanded one user.

Others were skeptical about the legality of the whole operation.

"Is it commercially legal?" a concerned user asked. "For now, what they're doing is gross."

As the demand for virtual companionship continues to rise amid a male loneliness epidemic, services like these will likely only grow in popularity; legal gray areas be damned.