The Idolmaster is a series of raising simulation and rhythm video games created by Namco Bandai Games (formerly Namco). Its first game premiered in Japan in 2005 as an arcade game, and the series has grown to numerous ports, sequels and spin-offs across multiple video game consoles, including three social network games. While the series is largely only available in Japan, the three versions of The Idolmaster Shiny Festa were localized into English and released worldwide on iOS.[1] The Idolmaster series has spawned many works in other media including anime, manga, novels, radio shows and drama CDs.
In addition to the video game series, the stand-alone anime series Idolmaster: Xenoglossia has its own manga and novel adaptations, and the manga series Puchimas! Petit Idolmaster later inspired an anime series and drama CDs. The music releases in the series include over 100 albums and singles with songs sung by the voice actors from the games. Many of the music releases feature the songs in remix versions in different arrangements. The Idolmaster had earned over 10 billion yen in music CD and concert sales as of 2013.[2][3] Various companion books for the games and anime adaptations have also been released which include detailed walkthroughs for the games and art collections.