That means that your target is not a DOM object and transformOrigin can't apply (because it doesn't exist).   I believe that Pixi has a pivot that you can set instead, though it's not strictly the same thing as a transform origin. @OSUblake works with Pixi more and might can provide additional insight.   Alternatively you could place the item in a container, translate it negatively by half of its width and height, and then rotate the container instead. 
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