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The story
News broke on social media that a new title in the Idolmaster series is in development, sparking a thread on 5ch’s Hardware & Industry board (Geha). Some posters speculated that “the announcement was made independently rather than during a Nintendo Direct because development has only just started.” Given the persistent demand for handheld consoles in the otome game market, many in the thread argued there’s “no real option besides Switch/Switch 2,” while others were more skeptical, saying things like “only the flagship titles actually sell” and “it’s always the minor titles that get dumped on Switch” — a mix of anticipation and doubt.
[Game Info]
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🎊 Breaking News! 🎊
Source: x.com / Original post here
What people said
Maybe it's just a 'development has started' notice, so it's too early to save for a Direct?
Though they'll probably still put out a mobile version
Are they messing with us?
The reasons SideM gets hate: (1) the character designs are mediocre (wish they'd had a female artist do them), (2) the voice acting for the elementary-school-age group 'Mofumofuen' is lackluster (would've preferred female voice actors), and (3) it keeps crossing over with the female-idol side of Idolmaster (if they're going to do crossovers, keep them within SideM).
But dumbass Sony abandoned its customers, so Nintendo swooped in and scooped them all up
Wonder why the 3DS never became the go-to console for otome games
There was never any option besides Switch
Guess 'Kutaragi Jr.'s' influence (a jab at Sony/PlayStation leadership) is fading
The fact that it's not being developed by Bandai Namco Studios suggests they're still deferring to SIE (Sony)
Not really any different from Persona 6 though
It's not exactly on Persona's level though…
Every D3 Publisher title releasing from September onward is on Switch 1/2 except Earth Defense Force 6.2
Oh, so they're not even an ally anymore
If anything, they're the enemy now
Guess now that role belongs to Switch and Switch 2
There weren't really any users for it, so it was never a 'home' for anything
I figured games like this would keep releasing only on the old hardware for a while even after the next-gen console launched
Because they can't stay on the original Switch forever — they need to make the transition
The previous title was a multiplatform PS4/Steam release in 2021
First week sales were 15,597 units
All anyone actually wants is Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage (Deresute) though
Same goes for gal games (dating sims aimed at men), honestly
I heard male characters vary too much in build, which makes it hard to design shared outfits for them
That's just as true for the female idols too — they range from like 130cm to 180cm
Background and Key Points
What was reported this time appears to be an announcement that development has begun, not a confirmed release — details on the release date and supported hardware were not yet finalized as of this thread. In the otome game market, handheld consoles have historically been preferred because players don’t want people around them seeing the screen; PS Vita used to fill that role, and several posters in the thread argued that since Vita’s discontinuation, the Nintendo Switch family has taken over that position. The Idolmaster franchise also has a main series centered on female idols and a spin-off series centered on male idols, and fan expectations are divided depending on which direction this new title ends up taking.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware & Industry (Geha)) thread “[Breaking] Idolmaster’s Newest Title Confirmed for Release on Switch 2.”
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