Image courtesy of Bandai Namco and D3 Publisher

The Idolmaster: SideM will return as a console game for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Bandai Namco Entertainment has revealed that it is working with its subsidiary D3 Publisher to develop and publish an idol-producing and scheduling adventure game for the Nintendo console family based on the franchise’s sub-series that features male idols.

While the companies have yet to announce the game’s official title, they have confirmed that it will feature 49 male characters grouped into 16 units. The list will include the poster unit Dramatic Stars, the series recurring unit Jupiter, the F-LAGS group that includes Ryo Akizuki—who first appeared in the DS game Dearly Stars, and the C.First group that debuted in the now-defunct SideM mobile game Growing Stars.

Bandai Namco has also published a reveal trailer for the new console game project on the official Idolmaster Channel on YouTube:

This will also be the first-ever console game in the overall Idolmaster franchise to appear on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Prior to this reveal, Bandai Namco released The Idolmaster: Starlit Season for PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam in Japan and the rest of Asia. The company has recently become more known for releasing new Idolmaster games for mobile devices, such as Shiny Colors: Song for Prism and Hatsuboshi Gakuen.

The new idol-producing and scheduling adventure game based on The Idolmaster: SideM will be available for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Bandai Namco and D3 Publisher have yet to share a release window and full title as of its initial reveal.

Kite is a Japanese translator and avid gamer from Indonesia, Southeast Asia who learned the language mostly by playing Japanese games from the PS1 era. He primarily translates news about Japanese games and anime straight from Japan. After initially starting with a focus on Dynasty Warriors communities from the mid-2000s, he eventually joined Siliconera in 2020. Other than Dynasty Warriors, Kite is also a big fan of Ace Combat and other games featuring mechs, especially Gundam.