IDOLM@STER (IM@AS in short) started its glamorous life as an arcade game in July 2005; a kind of simulation game written by Namco (Bandai-Namco Games, presently).
Immediately after the release, arcades were jam-packed densely with boys and young men. Subsequently, IDOLM@STER managed to ascend to the all-time hit console of the arcade gaming world.
What? You never heard of the IDOLM@STER? Well, it's quite reasonable, because this game reeked of such peculiar Japanese flavour that it never travelled out of its native land. Not like silly shoot'em-all and kick'em-all games, Bandai-Namco did not dare to transplant their jewel IDONM@STER to barren environment.
But, then, what is IDOLM@STER actually?
From Gematsu: "Bandai Namco has released a 15th anniversary trailer for The Idolmaster series. The series will celebrate its 15th anniversary on July 26, 2020.
According to Bandai Namco, the series’ anniversary period will run from July 2019 to July 2021. In other words, these are the two years in which it will release The Idolmaster 15th anniversary-branded products or have 15th anniversary-themed events."
God Eater 2 has a little crossover with another Namco Bandai series, The Idolm@ster. If you purchase the hunting game from HMV in Japan you’ll get a code that unlocks an Idolm@ster costume for Alisa as a bonus.
SGCafe: ''Namco Bandai Games’s general producer for The Idolm@ster series, Yozo Sakagami, appeared as a special guest on Sega’s Samurai & Dragons Fan Meeting 2013 Summer event in Akihabara held earlier today.''
