Free-to-play rhythm-action game simultaneously announces its global launch and closure

Japanese rhythm-action game Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 gets global launch and closure dates announced – all in the same tweet.

Could this be a first? A Japanese, free-to-play rhythm action game – that’ll be Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! – has had its global release date announced. Bewilderingly, the very same announcement on Twitter/X also says that the game will shut down three months later.

The snappily-titled OS and Android game has been out in Japan for about nine months – it launched on 15th April 2023, precise date fans – and is now set to make its western debut in February 2024.

“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,” the game’s Twitter/X post reads. So far, so normal.

After a refreshing paragraph break, though, the same tweet reads, “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.”

That’s quite a rollercoaster ride in one tweet. At the time of writing, it isn’t clear why its developer Bushiroad is going to the time and presumable expense of bothering with a global roll-out that might only last for 12 weeks or so.

The Japanese version of the game will shut down even earlier – on the 31st March – which only makes the decision more baffling.

Like most free-to-play mobile games, Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! is funded via in-app purchases, and from what we can gather the whole thing is based on the vivacious lives of wide-eyed anime pop singers.

A press release on Gematsu describes a mixture of rhythm action (“tap, tap, tap to the rhythm and aim for the Full Combo to conquer the stage!”) and slice-of-life drama scenes, or ‘Event Scenarios’ as its developer calls them.

You can currently pre-register to play Love Live!, though given the game has the lifespan of a housefly (roughly – we haven’t checked), we’re not quite sure who will do so.

Having expressed their excitement at the game’s global launch, the developer takes the time – again, in the same tweet – to thank fans for their support:

“We appreciate the love and support you’ve shown, and we’re committed to making these last few months an unforgettable moment.”

Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE!, we hardly knew thee.