is a Japanese media franchise that began in 2005 with a raising simulation and rhythm video game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The series primarily centers on the career of a producer who works with a group of young women who are aspiring or established idols at the talent agency 765 Production. Originally released as an arcade game, the franchise has grown to numerous ports, sequels and spin-offs across multiple video game consoles, including several social network games. The series includes a variety of other media such as an anime with the same name, printed media, audio dramas, a Korean drama, and radio shows.
Common elements Plot and themes
The central aspect of the plot for The Idolmaster deals with the training of prospective pop idols on their way to stardom. The main talent agency featured in the series is 765 Production (765 Pro), a rising studio located in a small office. Other studios include 876 Production (876 Pro), 961 Production (961 Pro), 346 Production (346 Pro), 315 Production (315 Pro) and 283 Production (283 Pro). At 765 Pro, there are initially 10 idols the player can choose: Haruka Amami, Chihaya Kisaragi, Yukiho Hagiwara, Yayoi Takatsuki, Ritsuko Akizuki, Azusa Miura, Iori Minase, Makoto Kikuchi, and Ami and Mami Futami (who work as a pair). Three additional idols later added to 765 Pro include: Miki Hoshii, Hibiki Ganaha and Takane Shijō.
A recurring theme in the series emphasizes the struggles an idol must go through to achieve stardom. This is indicated by the level of an idol's tension meter. Games in the series also explore relationships between characters, ranging from the relationship that develops between an idol and a producer, to the rivalry between idols and production studios.
Gameplay In the main series of games, the player usually assumes the role of a producer who is put in charge of one or more idols as a part of a raising simulation. The player is initially put in charge of a single idol, but this can increase to more idols once the player gains enough experience as a producer. The player starts by arranging the idol's daily schedule, which gives the player a large amount of freedom on what the idol does, including giving the idol the day off. The schedule includes time for the producer to communicate with the idol, take them to jobs, train them during lessons, and offer directions during auditions and performances until they reach the top spot in the entertainment industry. However, the schedule choices in the original arcade game are limited to doing a lesson or taking an audition. Training an idol has the player going through a variety of lessons in the form of minigames. These lessons serve to increase an idol's statistics in vocal, dance and visual image. The number and type of lessons change over the series; for example, there are five in the original arcade game, six in The Idolmaster SP, and three in The Idolmaster 2. The other aspect of the game which increases an idol's statistics depends on their costumes and accessories.
In the communication phase between the producer and an idol, text progression pauses when the player is given multiple responses to choose from over the course of a conversation and the player is given a limited amount of time to make a choice, though the player can pause the game to be given more time. Depending on which choice is made will affect how well or poorly the communication is received. As mutual trust builds between idol and producer, good memories are formed which help the idol in auditions. In contrast, if bad memories are formed through poor communication, this will adversely affect an idol. This communication is further expanded in The Idolmaster SP with the introduction of a promise system. The communication phase is supplemented by the idol taking on various jobs to further her exposure and gain fans.
The audition phase is the main way for an idol to climb the idol rankings by gaining fans. The audition process involves another series of minigames, which allow the player to appeal to the judges or audience by earning points in the vocal, dance and visual categories. If an idol passes the audition, she is chosen to do a televised public performance. In later games, during the performance, the player is able to influence the idol by giving directions. The same gameplay in the audition process is also used during live concerts and festivals. The player can check the idol's rank, how many fans she has gained, and how much her singles have sold.
Game series
Early years The Idolmaster, the first game of the series, was first released in Japan on July 26, 2005 as an arcade game using Namco Bandai Games' Namco System 246 arcade system board. Developed by Metro, it introduced many gameplay and plot themes common to the franchise. The player assumes the role of a novice producer who works with prospective pop idols through lessons, auditions and performances. The player can also develop a relationship between an idol and her producer. The game uses the touchscreen Rewritable Stage arcade cabinet, which issues the player two rewritable cards containing the player's profile and save data. It also makes use of the ALL.Net network service to keep track of national idol rankings. The network was discontinued on September 1, 2010, though a few of the arcade cabinets still survive.
A port of the arcade game for the Xbox 360 was released on January 25, 2007. This version introduced an additional idol, Miki Hoshii, and includes new songs. The port makes use of Xbox Live, and the game has been credited with making Japan's ratio of sign-ups for Xbox Live compared to the number of consoles sold as the world's highest. Over four times as many Microsoft points were sold on the date of The Idolmasters Xbox 360 release as on the date before it. A sequel to the arcade game titled The Idolmaster Live For You! for the Xbox 360 was released on February 28, 2008. In Live For You!, the player assumes the role of a "special producer" due to the sudden absence of the original producer and is charged with coordinating the idols' concerts. The game focuses mainly on the concert coordination aspect of the original and expands on it in many ways, with higher customization of the stage, costumes and songs. Live For You! also introduced a rhythm game aspect into the series, incorporating it as a minigame during an idol's concert. A collection containing both The Idolmaster and Live For You! was released on March 12, 2009 as The Idolmaster Twins.
A game titled The Idolmaster SP for the PlayStation Portable was released in three versions on February 19, 2009 titled Perfect Sun, Missing Moon and Wandering Star. SP re-introduces Miki Hoshii as a rival idol working for the 961 Pro studio, and introduces the new characters Hibiki Ganaha and Takane Shijō, also working for 961. Hibiki is in Perfect Sun, Miki is in Missing Moon, and Takane is in Wandering Star. SP also introduces a multiplayer mode for up to three players where each of the players' idols can interact and audition together. A slot machine titled The Idolmaster Live in Slot! was released on May 23, 2012 by Sammy using the Xbox 360 version of The Idolmaster as its motif.
2nd Vision In May 2009, the franchise's next stage called "2nd Vision" was announced, which was described as The Idolmasters next project that would further expand the series' world. The first 2nd Vision game is The Idolmaster Dearly Stars for the Nintendo DS and was released on September 17, 2009. Instead of playing the role of a producer, the player portrays one of the three idols introduced in Dearly Stars as they enter 876 Pro. In addition to the story mode, the game also features a cheering mode for up to 16 players, and includes wi-fi functionality. The idols from previous The Idolmaster games make appearances in Dearly Stars as already established and popular idols.
Another sequel to the original arcade game titled The Idolmaster 2 was released for the Xbox 360 on February 24, 2011 and later for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on October 27, 2011. Set in the same universe as Dearly Stars six months after The Idolmaster, the player can choose between most of same idols in addition to Miki, Hibiki and Takane. In The Idolmaster 2, Azusa Miura, Iori Minase and Ami Futami now form an independent unit with Ritsuko Akizuki as their producer. A nine-volume fan disc series titled The Idolmaster Gravure For You! was released for the PS3 from October 27, 2011 to June 28, 2012. Gravure For You! allows the player to give the idols directions while taking gravure photos of them in various poses, costumes and locations.
On October 25, 2012, The Idolmaster Shiny Festa was released for the PlayStation Portable in three versions. Like The Idolmaster SP, the different versions—titled Honey Sound, Funky Note and Groovy Tune—feature different idols from The Idolmaster 2 to work with. Shiny Festa is a rhythm game, and unlike previous games does not feature any raising simulation gameplay. The Shiny Festa games were released on iOS and localized into English on April 22, 2013. The titles of the games were changed for the port: Honey Sound became Harmonic Score, Funky Note became Rhythmic Record and Groovy Tune became Melodic Disc.
An app for the PS3 titled Imas Channel was released on the PlayStation Network on October 2, 2013. The app includes a Shiny TV component which features a PS3 version of Shiny Festa, and the nine Gravure For You! fan discs can also be downloaded via the app. The game The Idolmaster One For All was released on May 15, 2014 for the PS3 and allows players to produce all 13 idols from 765 Pro. A game titled The Idolmaster Platinum Stars for the PlayStation 4 (PS4) was released on July 28, 2016. The Idolmaster Stella Stage was released for the PS4 on December 20, 2017. The Idolmaster Starlit Season, a crossover game featuring idols from the original series, Cinderella Girls, Million Live! and Shiny Colors, was originally planned to release in 2020 for the PS4 and Windows via Steam, but was delayed first to May 27, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then further to October 14, 2021 for quality improvements.
3.0 Vision
The franchise's third stage called "3.0 Vision" was announced on December 26, 2022. The following games are considered part of this stage:
The Idolmaster Shiny Colors Song for Prism (mobile game) Gakuen Idolmaster (mobile game) The Idolmaster Tours (arcade game)
Social network games and spin-offs The first social network game in the series, The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, was released on the Mobage browser game platform for feature phones on November 28, 2011, and for iOS and Android devices on December 16, 2011. The game features a card battle system and over 100 additional idols, including the 13 idols from 765 Pro. In September 2012, the Nikkei Shimbun reported that Cinderella Girls earns over 1 billion yen in revenue monthly.
The second social network game, The Idolmaster Million Live!, was released on February 27, 2013 on the GREE browser game platform for iOS and Android devices, and feature phones sold by au, NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank. Like Cinderella Girls, the game features a card battle system and another 37 additional idols, which also includes the 13 idols from 765 Pro. GREE officially ended the service on March 19, 2018. A successor game to The Idolmaster Million Live! titled The Idolmaster Million Live! Theater Days was released on June 29, 2017. The game features all 37 Million Live! idols from the preceding game and the 13 765 Pro idols, but also introduces two brand new idols, bringing it up to a total of 52 playable and produceable idols.