They fear that Love Live! is in danger of disappearing

The Japanese portal Myjitsu published an article pointing out that the announced closure of the smartphone video game "Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live!" just a year after its release, could be an indicator that the "Love Live!" franchise as a whole is no longer as popular as it used to be.

"The smartphone video game "Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live!" has announced the closure of its servers for March 31 in Japan. With this, it turns out that different video games in the "Love Live!" franchise have been shut down one after the other, so there are fears that the franchise is becoming obsolete and fans are wondering, what will happen to "Love Live!" in the future?"

"Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live!" is the latest release in the "School Festival" mobile game franchise, which includes the various school idols from multiple generations. It's a rhythm video game that allows fans to engage with all the songs from the franchise to date."

"The previous game, titled "Love Live! School Idol Festival" ended its service on March 31, 2023, and "School Idol Festival 2" was announced as the immediate successor. However, less than a year since its release on April 15, 2023, this new sequel will also cease its activities. Another previous release, titled as "Link! Like! Love Live!" is still in service and includes the new generation "Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club," albeit with a different style of play than usual."

In other words, the usual style of smartphone gaming that characterized the "Love Live!" franchise may have come to an end with "Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live!', to usher in a new style."

An industry insider commented: "Regarding the cessation of 'Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live!', it has been pointed out that the quality of this new video game was simply poor, and that it was embarrassing compared to the first release. However, having said that, can't it also be said that the popularity of 'Love Live!' in general has declined over the years? The dimension of the franchise as a whole has increased so much that it becomes difficult for new fans to integrate, and there are also some who are 'too fanatical'. In fact, during a collaboration concert with "The Idolmaster" at the Tokyo Dome in December 2023, there were a few sections where a VTuber made an appearance and was completely booed. Apparently the fanbase of 'Love Live!' refuses to allow the franchise to evolve, making it inevitable that the franchise will go into decline."

"The "Love Live!" franchise will have been active for fourteen years by 2024. Since there are always new developments in both events and video games, it is often said that the voice actresses who play the characters "already have a job assured for life". However, in recent years, the impact of live events has been declining within the anime industry, and "Love Live!" has been no exception. Now coupled with the problems of smartphone gaming, if things continue like this, the future of voice actresses of the 'Love Live!' generations could be at risk."

"Currently, the Liella! from "Love Live! Superstar!!" has become a huge hit, but its popularity has focused more on "fans worshipping girls as idols" and not so much for being a part of "Love Live!". What's in store for the top school idol franchise in the future?"

Source: Myjitsu