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Press release:
TOKYO – Aug. 4, 2022.
“Idol Manager“, the dark comedy business sim set in the Japanese idol industry from developer Glitch Pitch and publisher PLAYISM, begins accepting preorders today on the Nintendo eShop ahead of the August 25 console debut on Nintendo Switch. PlayStation 4|5 versions go on sale on launch day, the 25th.

Set out to create an empire, starting with 5 million yen and some free real estate courtesy of a shady figure desiring the prestige of owning a successful talent agency for idol groups. Spend money to audition new talent, then choose promising candidates based on their performing skills and appeal. Factor in other attributes determining how those skills will change as they age as well as how they’ll gel with the rest of the group. One prospect could be the next big star, but could her ego and propensity to spill secrets make more trouble than she’s worth?

Manage personal relationships with the idols, hiring the right agency personnel to find success. Start multiple groups in a quest to control all idol-dom. Research market trends, release singles appealing to the market, and expand their popularity with the proper performances. Govern the groups’ behavior by setting social media sanctions, livestream limitations, and dating do’s and don’ts – strict rules might lead the talent to rebel, but loose rules might not appeal to what fans expect of idols.

Try to build an empire, but remember, money doesn’t grow on trees; don’t go bankrupt, and don’t do anything too scandalous or illegal. Rivals out there want to eliminate the competition, and they’ll play dirty if they need to. Perhaps crime and controversy justify taking them out…

The console versions contain all the content from the hit PC version initially released on Steam in 2021, adding in controller support. Earn multiple endings in Story Mode, with three difficulty modes. See just how rough and mean the world of cute, singing, dancing girls can be, embrace a more casual experience, or simply enjoy the management systems with custom settings in Free Mode.

“We’ve heard all the cries for console versions of Idol Manager since the day we first released it, and we made sure to take the time to ensure the controller support is perfect for console players,” said Max Rogozin, founder, Glitch Pitch.

“Pre-order the game today so we can fulfill our lifelong dream of becoming a real-life idol manager and seeing just how accurate we made Idol Manager!”

Idol Manager releases on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on Thursday, August 25, for $24.99. Pre-orders are available now on the Nintendo eShop. Idol Manager will support English, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese language text and Japanese language voice.

For more information, visit the official Idol Manager website, Twitter account, and YouTube channel, visit the PLAYISM website, follow PLAYISM on Facebook and Twitter, and search for #IdolManager on social media.

About Glitch Pitch
Founded by Max Rogozin, an avid follower of the Japanese idol scene, Glitch Pitch set out to create a game that included the rawness and drama that made following real idols so interesting, and not just the cute and idealized version of pop idol life of other titles. With that in mind, Max began developing Idol Manager as a business simulator that would provide players with a variety of choices, with a focus on showing realistic consequences and avoiding moralization to create an experience where the player never feels that there is one “right” answer.

In 2015, Aiwa (artist) and Kuiper (script writer) joined the team. Like Max, Kuiper finds the real pop idol industry in Japan more interesting than the cute, sanitized version that is often presented in games and anime, and he aims to depict the industry in a way that shows the fun and lively side of pop idol life without painting over the more ugly and unpleasant parts of showbiz.

About PLAYISM
Japan’s oldest indie publisher, PLAYISM, is known in the West for supporting popular indie games such as Gnosia, The Good Life, Idol Manager, Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight, Touhou Luna Nights, Fight Crab, Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-, the La-Mulana series, Bright Memory, and DEEEER Simulator among other titles.

PLAYISM’s motto is “Bringing a Different Breed of Indie Games to the World”.

To learn more, visit the PLAYISM official website and follow @PlayismEN on Twitter. Join the official PLAYISM Discord for news, announcements, and weekly livestreams.