BODY: The boys of 315 Production are headed to consoles. On September 13, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced that a home console game project for The Idolm@ster SideM is underway, with Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as the target platforms.
The news matters because Idolm@ster console releases have been rare lately. The last one was The Idolm@ster Starlit Season, released in 2021 for PlayStation 4 and PC. That game mixed idols from several branches of the franchise, but SideM's men's roster was not among them. This new project puts SideM at the center of a console game.
SideM started in 2014 as the franchise's male idol branch. Its hook is that the idols have lived other lives first: former lawyers, doctors, teachers and athletes who changed careers to perform on stage. Since then it has grown through mobile games, a TV anime, CD releases and big live concerts. Its fanbase is loyal and mostly women, and until now it has had no dedicated console game.
Bandai Namco has shared few details so far. Genre, release window and which units will appear are still unannounced. Choosing Switch and Switch 2 instead of PlayStation is a notable change from Starlit Season. It fits the Switch's large user base in Japan, where Nintendo hardware leads the market by a wide margin.
The insider take
In Tokyo, the reaction is excitement mixed with relief. SideM producers (as fans call themselves) have long felt the brand gets less attention than Cinderella Girls or Shiny Colors, especially after changes to its mobile games in recent years. A console game on Nintendo hardware tells fans Bandai Namco still sees SideM as worth a real investment. It also comes right as the Japanese otome and male-idol game market is doing well on Switch. Expect fans to watch closely for more news around Tokyo Game Show and upcoming SideM live events. The big questions are whether the full roster of more than 40 idols makes it in and whether the game focuses on producing or on performing.
Originally reported by AUTOMATON (Japanese).