The Idolmaster franchise is running on multiple fronts in 2026: SideM has a new Switch and Switch 2 console game in development, a joint live with Shiny Colors is set for June 2027, and a radio event is coming in December 2026. Chihaya Kisaragi's January Budokan concert was explained at Tokyo Game Show in September 2026.
The Idolmaster in 2026 is a franchise being worked across games, live events, and merchandise. Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on September 13 that a console game project for The Idolmaster SideM is in development for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Players take the role of a Producer at 315 Production, working with 49 idols across 16 units, and at the start they pick one unit as the leader unit for a large-scale live concert one year away. The concert concept is MMM. The official title and release timing were not announced. SideM's previous two games, Live ON ST@GE! and GROWING STARS, have ended service.
Live activity stretches into 2027. SideM and Shiny Colors will hold a joint live, SPARKLE SHOWDOWN, at Yokohama Arena on June 5 and 6, 2027. The two days split the cast by unit: Day 1 has SideM units W, FRAME, High×Joker, Shinsoku Ikkon, and C.FIRST with Shiny Colors units Houkago Climax Girls, Alstroemeria, Straylight, and Cometik. Day 2 pairs Altessimo, Café Parade, S.E.M, F-LAGS, and Legenders with illumination STARS, antm, Straylight, and noctchill. SideM's web radio will hold a public recording, 315 Production Night! Travel Edition, on December 12, 2026 at animate hall BLACK in Ikebukuro, tied to the M Fes 2026 in Winter Wonderland theme song Season's Greetings Party!, due December 2 at 2,750 yen.
On the voice side, Koki Ino succeeded Ayumu Murase as the voice of Kanon Himeno in SideM. Murase's graduation was announced on August 18, 2026, and Ino was introduced on the September 1 livestream. Existing audio in 315 Production episodes will not be replaced for now, though some audio may be replaced in future operations. Chihaya Kisaragi's solo Nippon Budokan concert OathONE, held January 24 and 25, used a 360-degree center stage, motion capture, and Unreal Engine rendering, with roles explained at a Tokyo Game Show session on September 18.
The arcade original closed a long run. Namco Nakano Store announced on September 4, 2026 that it would end regular operation of the arcade version, citing age-related malfunctions. Operation began on July 26, 2005. The cabinet remains as a display item, along with player communication notebooks.
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At a Tokyo Game Show 2026 session, staff from Bandai Namco Entertainment, REZ&, Sony Group, and Sony PCL described how the January 24 and 25 Chihaya Kisaragi solo show at Nippon Budokan, "OathONE," was staged. The talk covered center-stage screens, Unreal Engine rendering, motion capture, and Sony's moving LED display groovots, including a large type used to walk the virtual character down a hanamichi.
Award held X VORDER RUNWAY at Makuhari Messe's Exhibition Halls 1-4 on September 27. The event combined a fashion runway with a music live, with performers including Suisei Hoshimachi, HIMEHINA, Sara Hoshikawa, Kaf, Chun-Li, Rise Kujikawa, Haruka Amami, Chihaya Kisaragi, Miki Hoshii, and Nanawo Akari, among others. Mika Pikazo designed every costume, and Kohei Tanaka handled the theme song Kousaku OMNIVERSE.
A Tokyo Game Show session on September 18 brought together four people behind Chihaya Kisaragi's solo Nippon Budokan concert OathONE, held January 24 and 25. Yukiyoshi Yoshimoto of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Nobuaki Kazoe of REZ&, Akira Nakano of Sony Group and Takahiro Kozuki of Sony PCL explained the roles their companies played. The set used a 360-degree center stage, motion capture and Unreal Engine rendering.
The Idolmaster SideM official web radio will hold a public recording event, 315 Production Night! Travel Edition, on December 12, 2026 at animate hall BLACK in Ikebukuro. It marks the release of the M Fes 2026 in Winter Wonderland theme song Season's Greetings Party!, due December 2 at 2,750 yen. Yusei Kikuchi, Yoshiki Yamaya, Takeaki Masuyama, Yuriku Ise, and Masaya Miyazaki appear.
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. 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.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on September 12 that THE IDOLM@STER SideM and Shiny Colors will hold a joint live, SPARKLE SHOWDOWN, at Yokohama Arena on June 5 and 6, 2027. Day 1 features SideM units W, FRAME, High×Joker, Shinsoku Ikkon, and C.FIRST with Shiny Colors units Houkago Climax Girls, Alstroemeria, Straylight, and Cometik; Day 2 pairs Altessimo, Café Parade, S.E.M, F-LAGS, and Legenders with illumination STARS, antim, Straylight, and noctchill.
Namco Nakano Store announced on September 4 that it would end regular operation of the arcade version of THE IDOLM@STER. Operation began on July 26, 2005. The store cited age-related malfunctions making stable operation difficult. The cabinet remains as a display item, along with 20 years of player communication notebooks.
The Idolmaster SideM special livestream aired September 1 and introduced Ino Yukiteru as the new voice of Himeno Kanon, the former child actor idol in the kids unit Mofumofuen. Cast members Nakamura Shugo, Kano Sho, Yano Shogo, and Furuhata Keisuke posted welcomes on X after the stream. Kano gave Ino the nickname "Yukiteru," which Ino accepted in his own post. Fans praised the new voice and said they look forward to Mofumofuen's next moves.
Dengeki Hobby Web reports that Mikoto Hida from THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS, Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night, and Aoko Aozaki from Witch on the Holy Night are joining the 30 MINUTES SISTERS bishoujo plastic model series. Mikoto Hida ships in January 2027, while Rin Tohsaka and Aoko Aozaki ship in March 2027.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on August 28, 2026 that voice actor Koki Ino will succeed Ayumu Murase as the voice of Kanon Himeno in The Idolmaster SideM. Murase's graduation from the role was announced on August 18, following amicable discussions between both parties about the character's future. Ino expressed his intention to cherish what has been built so far while giving his best in the role. A special live stream to welcome Ino is scheduled for September 1 at 19:00 JST on YouTube and Niconico Live. The stream will feature Shugo Nakamura as Teru Tendo, Sho Kano as Yukihiro Kamiya, Shogo Yano as Nao Okamura, Keisuke Furuhata as Shiro Tachibana, and Ino as Kanon Himeno. During the program, staff will announce Kanon Himeno's future voice schedule and share details about the event 315 Production presents FANTASIC BATTLE FES ~Wanna step in~. The announcement notes that existing audio in 315 Production episodes will not be replaced for now, though some audio may be replaced in future operations. Ino will appear in the upcoming FES performances and related content announced after August 28.
At CEDEC 2026, held July 22 to 24 at Pacifico Yokohama North, Bandai Namco Studios producer Takahiro Kakizawa presented a session on the concept development behind THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! THEATER DAYS, known as Mirishita. Kakizawa, who joined the project in March 2016 as the developer-side planning and production producer, said he had never played the iM@S series and had no mobile game experience, which pushed him toward a customer-oriented approach. He defined the target audience by narrowing from broad categories like 2D beautiful girl content fans and smartphone users in their 20s to 40s, to a specific group: people who left games due to lack of skill, lack of time, or mismatched smartphone usage situations. This led to adding the condition of wanting to enjoy games casually. Kakizawa identified core iM@S needs, including adoring idol cuteness, feeling a sense of raising them, and experiencing the joy of being thanked as a producer. He stressed that meeting needs means implementing ideas without excess or deficiency, using two evaluation axes: trial, whether players pick it up, and performance, whether they play repeatedly. Post-release, the team tracked SNS trends, implementing a gentle gyaru trend with events in December 2023, August 2024, and April 2025.
The Idolmaster SideM will hold a "SUMMER SPLASH! POP UP SHOP" at Tower Records Shinjuku from July 17 to July 26, 2026. The event features newly drawn summer costume illustrations of High×Joker, plus mini character goods for W·Beit. A range of merchandise including acrylic stands, badges, and clear files will be available, with purchase bonuses.
The Steam version of The Idolmaster: Starlit Season is on sale for 3,608 yen, 60% off the regular 9,020 yen price, as part of Amazon Prime Day 2026. The game brings together idols from the 765 Pro, Cinderella Girls, Million Live!, and Shiny Colors brands, plus new idol Kokoro Okugami, in a training simulation spanning roughly 10 months. The discount is promoted as a recommended entry point for newcomers to the series on PC.
Bandai Namco Experience will release a new Personal Pub Mirror featuring Roco from The Idolmaster Million Live! on July 9, 2026. Limited-time pre-orders open at ASOBI STORE until July 27. The mirror, priced at 14,800 yen, depicts Roco as a mermaid princess based on the "Wishing in the Deep Sea" theme. It is part of a premium interior decor series for collectors.
Bandai Spirits will release a six-volume plush prize series, The Idolmaster Shiny Colors Chibi Gurumi ~PJ: REFRAC7IONS~, exclusively at Namco locations starting November 2026. The chibi gurumi dolls feature idols from the shuffle unit project PJ: REFRAC7IONS in their unit costumes. Volumes 1 through 4 arrive in November, volumes 5 and 6 in December.
Bandai Namco Experience will hold a free public event at Ikebukuro Sunshine City Fountain Plaza on July 27, 2026, to announce the major summer update for the arcade game The Idolmaster Tours. The new series, called Second Stage, adds a Tour Mode. Four voice actors from the franchise will appear as guests.
Meitetsu Kanko Service and The Idolmaster SideM are launching the Deramasu tourism collaboration in Nagoya from August 3 to October 31, 2026. DRAMATIC STARS serve as official ambassadors. Thirteen local businesses each partner with a SideM idol, with accommodation and sightseeing plans offering exclusive goods.
Megahouse has unveiled the colored prototype of the 'Lucrea The Idolmaster Shiny Colors Higuchi Enka [Merry]' figure for the first time. The figure is based on the 'SSR Produce Idol [Merry] Higuchi Enka' illustration from the Twilights Collection and depicts her in the costume 'Palmieri In View' in a dynamic pose. Pre-orders begin in early July on Premium Bandai and other sites.
Bandai Spirits announced a new plastic model kit for Kaho Komiya, a tokusatsu-loving idol from "THE iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS," as part of its 30 MINUTES SISTERS (30MS) series. The kit is set for release on May 30, 2026, priced at 4,180 yen including tax. It includes all body parts in a single package, with pre-colored costume chest parts that reproduce the character's color coding and details. The model features small wings on the back, a skirt with a wavy printed sheet, and some parts made from smoke clear material with glitter. The skin parts have a matte finish. Three types of pad-printed face parts and hand parts, including three types that can hold a microphone, are included. The hair ornament parts replicate the design of the 20th anniversary costume and can be removed. The kit is compatible with separately sold 30MS series parts for customization. Bandai Spirits also announced a separate option parts set, the 30MS Option Parts Set 28 (Action Wear α), releasing on the same day for 2,420 yen, which adds new joint gimmicks for enhanced posing.
New survey data from the Japan Animation Creators Association shows a sharp rise in full-time salaried roles at anime production studios. In 2024, 47 percent of respondents held permanent positions, up from 17 percent in 2013. Non-permanent work fell from three in four to one in two over the same period. Average monthly working hours dropped to about 190, and median annual earnings rose to ¥4 million, though work stress remains high.