# Gakuen Idolmaster

Gakuen Idolmaster is a Japanese video game spin-off of The Idolmaster developed by QualiArts and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released in Japan on May 16, 2024, for both iOS and Android.

## Premise and gameplay

The game takes place at the Hatsuboshi Gakuen, an idol training school. The player acts as a student in the Producer Department of the school, and produces one of the ten idols studying in the Idol Department.
It is a roguelike deck-building game. In a round of the raising simulation, the player raises the idol's stats through lessons with a deck of skill cards, such that she can pass the mid-term and final exams, and perform in a live concert at the end of production. Each skill card in the deck has a different effect including increasing status or energy, and costs stamina when the player uses it. The player can also improve the deck, and acquire P-items and drinks through consultation with the teachers, etc.
The game requires the player to repeat the simulation. In the process, the player can raise their affection level with the idols and their account level. They can also obtain new support and skill cards, and strengthen their existing ones.

## Development

On July 25, 2023, during the franchise's 18th anniversary live stream, it was announced The Idolmaster franchise would release a new brand, starting with a mobile game. It was also revealed that Hidefumi Komino was the producer of the new brand, and the project had been started almost five years ago. The then-untitled brand would be the sixth brand of the franchise, following the original brand, Cinderella Girls, Million Live!, SideM and Shiny Colors.
The title of the game, Gakuen Idolmaster, as well as the first promotional video, were revealed in a live stream on March 5, 2024. In the live stream, the staff and cast were revealed as well. The scenario is written by light novel writers Tsukasa Fushimi, Yū Shimizu and Kazuki Amamiya. The character drafts were created by Aki Minamino and Hechima. The game was set to be released in Q2 of the same year.

### Cast

The audition for the cast of the idols was held in 2021. On March 5, 2024, three of the nine idols and their voice actresses were revealed.
The ten idols who appear in the game are as follows:
* Saki Hanami (花海咲季) voiced by Aoi Nagatsuki
* Temari Tsukimura (月村手毬) voiced by Nao Ojika
* Kotone Fujita (藤田ことね) voiced by Hikaru Iida
* Rinami Himesaki (姫崎莉波) voiced by Yuri Usui
* Sumika Shiun (紫雲清夏) voiced by Miya Minato
* Hiro Shinosawa (篠澤広) voiced by Reina Kawamura
* Lilja Katsuragi (葛城リーリヤ) voiced by Kana Hanaiwa
* China Kuramoto (倉本千奈) voiced by Mao Itō
* Mao Arimura (有村麻央) voiced by Tsumugi Nanase
* Ume Hanami (花海佑芽) voiced by Ayane Matsuda
Besides the idols, other cast members include Akio Ōtsuka as Kunio Jūō, the school headmaster, Aoi Koga as Asari Neo, a teacher from the Producer Department, and Minami Tanaka, Yūki Wakai and Yu Serizawa as trainers.

### Music

The music works are released under Asobinotes, a record label owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The soundtracks in the singles released are different from those used in the live concert scenes in the game, which was the idea from QualiArts.
"Campus mode!!" is the ending theme song of the game, and the player can first listen to it when the affection level reaches ten for any idol. When the game was launched, it was difficult to raise the affection level to ten, so within the fanbase mentioning the song itself is considered as a spoiler of the story plot.

### Graphics

According to Hidefumi Komino, the 3D model of a character consists of 60,000 polygons.

### Story

It was the first time The Idolmaster franchise had notable light novel writers joining the production from the beginning of a project. Tsukasa Fushimi, the author of Oreimo and Eromanga Sensei, not only wrote the story but also was involved in the character design. The stories of Saki, Temari, Kotone, China and Hiro are written by Fushimi, while those of the other characters are written by Yū Shimizu and Kazuki Amamiya.

## Release

Gakuen Idolmaster was released on May 16, 2024, for iOS and Android devices.

## Music
### Discography
#### Digital singles

| Title | Release date | Singer(s) | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Arranger(s) | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Ref |
| Title | Release date | Singer(s) | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Arranger(s) | JPN Dig. | JPN DL | Ref |
| "Fighting My Way" | May 16, 2024 | Saki Hanami | Hiromi | Giga | Giga | 15 | 20 | |
| "Luna say maybe" | May 16, 2024 | Temari Tsukimura | Minami | Minami | Minami, Katsuhiro Mafune | 22 | 27 | |
| "Sekaiichi Kawaii Watashi" (世界一可愛い私) | May 16, 2024 | Kotone Fujita | HoneyWorks | HoneyWorks | HoneyWorks | 31 | 37 | |
| "clumsy trick" | May 16, 2024 | Rinami Himesaki | Shō Watanabe | Shō Watanabe | Shinpei Nasuno | 29 | 36 | |
| "Tame-Lie-One-Step" | May 16, 2024 | Sumika Shiun | Yūta Azuma | Yūta Azuma | Yūta Azuma | 32 | 38 | |
| "Kōkei" (光景) | May 16, 2024 | Hiro Shinosawa | Hakushi Hasegawa | Hakushi Hasegawa | Hakushi Hasegawa, Arthur Verocai | 42 | 52 | |
| "Hakusen" (白線) | May 16, 2024 | Lilja Katsuragi | NayutalieN | NayutalieN | NayutalieN | 39 | 49 | |
| "Wonder Scale" | May 16, 2024 | China Kuramoto | Shōko Ōhmori | Shu Kanematsu | Shu Kanematsu | — | 74 | |
| "Fluorite" | May 16, 2024 | Mao Arimura | Kana Yaginuma | Moe Shop | Moe Shop | 38 | 46 | |
| "Hajime" (初) | May 16, 2024 | All nine idols | Sasuke Haraguchi | Sasuke Haraguchi | Dan Miyakawa | 37 | 45 | |
| "Ivy" (アイヴイ) | May 23, 2024 | Temari Tsukimura | Tsumiki | Tsumiki | Tsumiki | 25 | 26 | |
| "The Rolling Riceball" | June 1, 2024 | Ume Hanami | Takafumi Satō | Takafumi Satō | Akinori Handa | 48 | 56 | |
| "Kanaetai, Kotabakari" (叶えたい、ことばかり) | June 3, 2024 | Temari Tsukimura | Tōma Tanaka | Tōma Tanaka | Tōma Tanaka | 18 | 23 | |
| "Campus mode!!" | June 10, 2024 | All nine idols | Tomoya Tabuchi | Tomoya Tabuchi | Shunsuke Takizawa | 13 | 15 | |
| "Yellow Big Bang!" | June 11, 2024 | Kotone Fujita | Kana Yaginuma | Shōtaro Seo | Shōtaro Seo | 21 | 21 | |
| "Boom Boom Pow" | June 20, 2024 | Saki Hanami | Kentz | Kentz | Kentz, Ereca | 23 | 24 | |
| "Kimi to Semi Blue" (キミとセミブルー) | July 2, 2024 | Rinami Himesaki, Mao Arimura, Sumika Shiun | Itsukioto | Hajime Mitsumasu | Hajime Mitsumasu | | | |

#### CD singles

| Title | Release date | Singer(s) |
| "Fighting My Way" | August 7, 2024 | Saki Hanami |
| "Luna say maybe" | August 7, 2024 | Temari Tsukimura |
| "Sekaiichi Kawaii Watashi" | August 7, 2024 | Kotone Fujita |
| "Hakusen" | August 28, 2024 | Lilja Katsuragi |
| "Wonder Scale" | August 28, 2024 | China Kuramoto |
| "clumsy trick" | August 28, 2024 | Rinami Himesaki |
| "Fluorite" | September 25, 2024 | Mao Arimura |
| "Tame-Lie-One-Step" | September 25, 2024 | Sumika Shiun |
| "Kōkei" | September 25, 2024 | Hiro Shinosawa |

### Albums

| Title | Release date | Ref |
| Season Solo Collection Vol.1: Kimi to Semi Blue (Season Solo Collection Vol.1 「キミとセミブルー」) | August 14, 2024 | |

### Live event

The first live concert tour "Gakuen Idolmaster: Debut Live Hajime Tour" began in August 2024, and will conclude in February of 2025.

## Other media

A manga adaptation written by Smile Down the Runway's author Kotoba Inoya and illustrated by Yuu Okino was announced on May 8, 2024. The manga series began its serialization in Weekly Shōnen Champion in the same year. The protagonist is Kotone Fujita.
A radio show titled Hatsuboshi Gakuen Ongaku-bu (初星学園音楽部, lit. 'Hatsuboshi Gakuen Music Club') premiered on Apple Music on May 18, 2024. The host is Akihiro Tomita.

## Reception

According to Oricon, Gakuen Idolmaster ranked first in the weekly ranking of the number of downloads among free-to-play games on the App Store platform in its first week of release.