Popular Japanese rhythm game sets cancellation record by announcing release date and closure in the same tweet
The Japanese multimedia series Love Live! has been around since 2010, and has enjoyed popularity through various anime series, films, and rhythm-action videogames. The setup is fairly simple, and revolves around girls who attend school with each other but are secretly the planet's greatest pop idols. One especially successful entry is Love Live! School Island Festival, a free-to-play mobile-first game that was released in 2013 before being ported to various other platforms.
The publisher behind the game, Bushiroad, announced the game's successor at Love Live!'s 2022 thanksgiving festival. Love Live! School Island Festival 2 would see all player account data carried over and replace its predecessor entirely, and feature various popular groups and idols from the series and its spinoffs. Other than that it's along the same lines: a rhythm game crossed with a visual novel, where you get your J-pop on then talk about maths homework or something.
The servers for Love Live! School Island Festival closed on March 31, 2023, and the Japanese version of Love Live! School Island Festival 2 released on April 15, 2023. A global version was expected to follow in the same year, but this was pushed back to February 2024.
So here we are, and boy does Bushiroad have some news for expectant players. In what has to be some sort of industry first, Love Live! School Festival 2 has announced its global launch date and, in the same tweet, announced the game will end service a few months later. Here is the full gobsmacking text:
«We are excited to break the news to you that the global version of Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! is launching soon in February 2024.
»However, we also want to inform you that the Global Version will close its doors on May 31, 2024, and cease in-app purchases accordingly.
«We appreciate the love and support you've shown, and we're committed to making these last few months an unforgettable moment.»
Talk about putting a brave face on things. Love
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