THE IDOLM@STER SideM Announces Its First Console Game Project for Switch 2 and Switch

THE IDOLM@STER SideM is officially moving into dedicated console gaming with the first home-console game project in SideM history. The announcement was made on September 13, 2026 during THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ～EVER EVER＠FTER～ DAY2 at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, alongside the project's first teaser.

The still-untitled game is currently in development for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Its initial concept is already unusually specific for an early reveal: players become a Producer at 315 Production, manage 16 units and 49 idols, and follow an entirely new story charting their year-long path toward a major live performance.

Quick Summary

• Franchise: THE IDOLM@STER
• Brand: THE IDOLM@STER SideM
• Announcement type: new home-console game project
• Key status: the first dedicated home-console game project for THE IDOLM@STER SideM
• Announcement date: September 13, 2026
• Announcement event: THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ～EVER EVER＠FTER～ DAY2
• Venue: TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO
• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Development status: in development
• Official game title: unannounced
• Release date: unannounced
• Release window: unannounced
• Price: unannounced
• Development studio: unannounced
• Brand / IP: Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Official genre: Idol Produce & Scheduling Adventure
• Player role: Producer
• Agency: 315 Production
• Number of units: 16
• Number of idols: 49
• Roster scope: all 16 units and 49 idols are included in the initial premise
• Story structure: completely new story
• Connection to current SideM: inherits the same world setting
• Continuity source: the story currently being developed through the SideM Brand Page
• Major story objective: a large-scale live performance
• Time until the major live: one year
• Character focus: each idol works toward their own goals
• Narrative scale: described as having console-game-level volume
• Teaser: released
• Footage status: development footage
• Footage disclaimer: visuals may differ from the final product
• Scheduling system: part of the genre concept
• Detailed scheduling mechanics: unannounced
• Idol production: confirmed as a core concept
• Training / stat systems: unannounced
• Live-performance gameplay: not yet detailed
• Game modes: not yet detailed
• Player count: unannounced
• Online features: unannounced
• DLC: unannounced
• Physical / digital editions: unannounced
• Differences between Switch 2 and Switch: unannounced
• Upgrade path between versions: unannounced
• Cross-save: unannounced
• Supported languages: unannounced
• Age rating: unannounced
• Nintendo store page: not announced through the primary verified material
• Current status: awaiting its formal title, release timing and further gameplay details

THE IDOLM@STER SideM Console Game Project Teaser

SideM Is Finally Getting Its First Dedicated Console Game

The biggest part of this reveal is not simply that another SideM game exists. It marks SideM's first dedicated home-console game project.

The official Idolmaster Portal uses that distinction directly, while also confirming that development is underway for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch rather than a single Nintendo platform.

The project was unveiled during the closing momentum of 11th STAGE DAY2, positioning it as one of the major new developments for SideM's eleventh year.

The footage shown so far comes from a development build. Interfaces, visuals, animations and other elements seen in the teaser should therefore not yet be treated as final product specifications.

All 16 Units and 49 Idols Are Part of the Main Premise

The first project description immediately establishes a large roster.

Players take the role of a Producer at 315 Production, producing 16 units containing a total of 49 idols.

That distinction matters because the announcement does not frame the game as a small spin-off built around only a few selected units. The entire SideM roster referenced in the official material sits at the center of the announced premise.

How those 49 idols will be divided across progression, scheduling, personal events, unit activities or character stories remains unclear.

What has been confirmed is that each idol will work toward individual goals while sharing one larger destination: a major live performance scheduled one year into the story.

A Completely New Story Continues SideM's Current World

The console project is also not being presented as a reboot.

The teaser description states that the game inherits the same world setting as the stories currently unfolding through THE IDOLM@STER Portal's SideM Brand Page.

On top of that continuity, the game introduces a completely new story created specifically for the console project.

Longtime players therefore remain within the familiar SideM continuity while receiving a central plot that is not simply a retelling of previously published material.

Its main framework covers the one-year period leading to a major live performance, with all 49 idols pursuing their respective goals during that period.

The official material also promises a story volume suited to a console game, although chapter count, playtime and route structure have not yet been disclosed.

Scheduling Is Built Into the Genre Identity

The official genre name provides one of the clearest early clues about the game itself: Idol Produce & Scheduling Adventure.

The word “Scheduling” indicates that managing activities will form part of the game's identity alongside the player's work as a Producer.

Exactly how that system operates has not been explained.

There is currently no confirmation of whether players manage daily or weekly calendars, assign jobs, choose training sessions, organize promotional work, control unit assignments or make other calendar-based decisions familiar from various THE IDOLM@STER titles.

Likewise, idol statistics, resource management, difficulty settings, branching routes, rankings and live-performance systems remain unannounced.

The genre can therefore be treated as official, while the actual mechanical implementation still requires a future gameplay demonstration.

The Project Was Announced at SideM 11th STAGE DAY2

The setting of the announcement gives the project additional weight.

The console game was introduced during THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ～EVER EVER＠FTER～ DAY2, held on September 13, 2026 at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO.

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The live reveal was then followed by the publication of the teaser and official SideM notices.

That presentation positions the console project as a major new step for the brand rather than a smaller product quietly appearing on a store page.

For now, Bandai Namco Entertainment has not revealed the game's final name. “Home-console game project” remains a working description until the formal title announcement.

Title, Release Date and Technical Details Remain Under Wraps

Despite the relatively detailed premise, most product information remains open.

The formal title and release timing are explicitly being saved for later announcements.

No price, physical edition, digital edition, preorder bonus, collector's edition or Nintendo eShop product page has been announced through the main material verified for this article.

Technical differences between the Switch 2 and Switch versions are also unknown. Resolution, frame rate, loading differences, Switch 2-specific features, mouse support and any upgrade path cannot currently be assumed.

The same applies to language support, age rating, save systems, online connectivity, DLC and sharing functionality.

For now, the confirmed picture is straightforward: the project is in development for both Nintendo systems and will place all 49 SideM idols inside a new console-scale story.

Why This Matters

1) It represents a new step for SideM as a game brand

SideM has a long history across games and multimedia projects, but this is officially its first dedicated home-console game project.

2) All 49 idols are built into the announced scale

The initial description is not centered on one unit or a limited selection. Sixteen units and 49 idols form the foundation of the story from the outset.

3) The new story keeps SideM's existing continuity intact

The game carries forward the world currently presented through the Brand Page while building a new one-year journey toward a major live.

4) Several major reveals are still ahead

The title, release timing, detailed scheduling mechanics, production systems, live gameplay and differences between Switch 2 and Switch all remain undisclosed.

Game Information

For now, the additional important information currently known includes:

• this is the first home-console game project dedicated to THE IDOLM@STER SideM
• the announcement was made on September 13, 2026
• it was unveiled during SideM 11th STAGE DAY2
• the full event name is THE IDOLM@STER SideM 11th STAGE ～EVER EVER＠FTER～
• the venue was TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO
• the game is in development for Nintendo Switch 2
• it is also in development for Nintendo Switch
• both platforms were named together from the first announcement
• the current project status is in development
• teaser footage comes from a development build
• final visuals may change
• the official genre is Idol Produce & Scheduling Adventure
• players take the role of a Producer
• the central agency is 315 Production
• 16 units are included in the official description
• 49 idols are included in the official description
• the game tells a completely new story
• its world setting continues the current SideM story universe
• that continuity connects to the SideM Brand Page on THE IDOLM@STER Portal
• a major live serves as the story's larger destination
• that live is one year away at the beginning of the premise
• individual idols also pursue their own goals
• the official description promises a story volume appropriate for a home-console game
• chapter structure remains unannounced
• character-route structure remains unannounced
• detailed scheduling mechanics remain unannounced
• detailed idol-production mechanics remain unannounced
• battle or rhythm gameplay has not been announced as a feature in the initial information
• live-performance systems remain undetailed
• the development studio remains unannounced
• the final title remains unannounced
• the release date remains unannounced
• no release window has been announced
• pricing remains unannounced
• preorders have not been opened through the main verified announcement
• a physical edition remains unannounced
• the digital edition has not been detailed
• a collector's edition remains unannounced
• DLC remains unannounced
• online features remain unannounced
• player count remains unannounced
• age rating remains unannounced
• supported languages remain unannounced
• Switch 2 specifications remain unannounced
• Switch specifications remain unannounced
• visual or performance differences between the versions remain unannounced
• cross-save remains unannounced
• a Switch-to-Switch-2 upgrade path remains unannounced
• save transfer remains unannounced
• a dedicated Nintendo eShop product page was not part of the initial verified announcement
• official brand information is available through the THE IDOLM@STER SideM Brand Page
• SideM updates are available through THE IDOLM@STER SideM Official X
• the game-project announcement is available through the THE IDOLM@STER Official Portal Announcement
• the full teaser is available through the Official Home Console Game Project Teaser

Closing

THE IDOLM@STER SideM is officially preparing its first dedicated console game project for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Sixteen units and 49 idols will take part in a new story that follows the Producer through a full year leading toward a major live performance.

The project remains at an early reveal stage. Its formal title, release date, price, development studio, detailed scheduling mechanics, live systems and differences between the two Nintendo versions all await future announcements from Bandai Namco Entertainment.