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8 sources Sep 13 Updated

Bandai Namco Opens SideM Console Game Project For Switch And Switch 2

Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on September 13 that a console game project has begun for The Idolmaster SideM, the branch of The Idolmaster franchise whose producible idols are all male.

Reporting from 8 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), 4Gamer.net, Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, and 4 more.

Why it matters

SideM's two previous games, Live ON ST@GE! and GROWING STARS, have already ended service, so this is the brand's return to games as a title of its own rather than a crossover appearance.

Bandai Namco Opens SideM Console Game Project For Switch And Switch 2

Key Facts

  • Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the console game project for The Idolmaster SideM on September 13, 2026.
  • The Idolmaster SideM console game is in development for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
  • The game features 49 idols from 16 units belonging to 315 Production, with the player as their Producer.
  • The official title and release timing for The Idolmaster SideM console game will be announced at a later date.
  • The Idolmaster SideM console game has no confirmed release window and its CERO rating is pending review.

The game is in development for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, with the official title and release timing to be announced later. Players take the role of a Producer at 315 Production and work with 49 idols across 16 units in what the announcement calls an idol producing and scheduling adventure. The story shares the worldview of the SideM brand page on The Idolmaster portal site but is a new story written for the game, following the idols toward a large-scale live concert one year away. At the start, the player picks one of the 16 units as the leader unit for that concert, and the story and conversations change depending on the choice. The concert concept is MMM.

The teaser video identifies it as software for Nintendo Switch 2, while the announcement lists Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as the supported platforms. It is an idol production and scheduling adventure for one player, with a CERO rating still pending review, according to Anime Anime.

Anime Anime also reports that the game includes new costumes for all 49 idols and newly drawn visuals of them wearing the outfits. Ahead of the rest, the visuals for three members of the unit DRAMATIC STARS were released: Teru Tendo, Kaoru Sakuraba, and Tsubasa Kashiwagi. Visuals for the other 46 idols will follow.

The concert concept is shared by all 16 units, but each unit colors it differently. When the player picks a leader unit for the concert, the theme that unit puts forward changes, and the support units backing the leader unit are set by that choice. The story and the details of conversations differ for each leader unit.

Anime Anime notes SideM began in 2014 as the franchise's male idol production game, and the idols' story now continues on the SideM brand page of the Idolmaster portal site alongside live events, music, and merchandise. Automaton adds that a distinguishing feature of the brand is the idols' former jobs, such as doctors or Self-Defense Force officers who transferred or took on side work, and that players produce idols who each have their own reasons.

The president of 315 Production hands down the concept for the new major live concert: MMM. The 49 idols each aim for the goal they envision, cooperate with their companions, and move forward even when facing difficulties, with the Producer supporting them.

Written with AI by Yomimono from the 8 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.

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The Idolmaster SideM Bandai Namco Entertainment

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