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Idolland PriPara Smartphone Game Delayed for 5th Time

The official Twitter account of Idolland PriPara, the smartphone app based on TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S and syn Sophia's PriPara franchise, announced on Tuesday that the game's spring release has been postponed again to improve the quality of the game content itself and its app. In about two months, the staff will announce the game's new release schedule.

The game was initially slated to launch in spring 2021, but was delayed for the first time to summer 2021. It was then delayed to spring 2022, again to summer or fall 2022, and delayed for the fourth time in October 2022.

The staff also announced that the Dark Nightmare concert scenes from the app's 3rd tie-in anime episode "Subtitle? Dō Demo Ii ze" (literally, "Episode Title? I Don't Care!") will have a CG special edition, which will stream on the Idolland PriPara's YouTube channel on May 2.

The app's associated anime, which will stream within the app, is the franchise's first new anime in over three years. While the anime's regular run will be delayed alongside the app, the anime has so far had online preview screenings of the "episode 0" prequel and episode 1 in October 2021. Episode 2 had an online preview screening in January 2022, and episode 3 had preview screenings in May 2022. These episodes streamed again with new audio commentary tracks in November 2022.

The "virtual idol life app" from developer syn Sophia lets users create their own custom characters in the PriPara theme park, where anyone can become an idol.

Makoto Moriwaki is returning from the various PriPara television anime series to direct the in-app anime at Tatsunoko Productions, and Michihiro Tsuchiya is also back to supervise the series scripts. In addition to the many returning staff members, Avex Pictures is once again producing the music.

The Pretty Series of projects began with syn Sophia's Pretty Rhythm: Mini Skirt arcade game in 2010. The game inspired four television anime series, as well as five anime films and the spinoff King of Prism franchise. The sequel game PriPara (Prism Paradise) launched in 2014 and inspired four television anime series and four anime films.

The first anime season of Kiratto Pri☆Chan premiered in Japan in April 2018. The second season then premiered in April 2019. The show's third season premiered in April 2020 and ended in May 2021. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired.

A new magic-themed television anime, Waccha PriMagi!, premiered in October 2021 to mark the franchise's 10th anniversary. The series ended with its 51st episode in October 2022, ending 11 and a half years of uninterrupted television anime broadcast history. HIDIVE streamed the series. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series, and it will release it on home video.

Sources: Idolland PriPara app's Twitter account (link 2), Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web