Deepening Connections with Fans through IJIGEN FES, a Brand-New Style of Live Music Event | Integrated Report 2024 | IR library | IR Information

Launching IJIGEN FES, a brand-new style of live music event designed to capture fan interest

In December 2023, we held “IJIGEN FES THE IDOLM@STER★♥LOVELIVE! UTAGASSEN,” a collaborative live music event featuring the THE IDOLM@STER series and the Love Live! series, at Tokyo Dome (Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo).
IJIGEN FES was conceived based on the desire to create a brand-new style of live music event by pairing two different kinds of genres together to capture the interest of fans. As we named the event “IJIGEN,” which translates to “another dimension,” we gave much consideration as to the type of collaboration we would like the event to feature. We decided on transcending the boundaries of Group IPs to bring together the THE IDOLM@STER series and the Love Live! series, both of which have grown in their respective worlds by combining a 2D world and music and by going beyond the conventions of anime songs.
Creating a collaboration between two very different IPs was an extremely challenging task, and there were many issues we needed to address. However, through the close cooperation among three Group companies—Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., and Bandai Namco Music Live Inc.—we were able to realize this collaboration. As a result, I believe that IJIGEN FES served as an unprecedented initiative that captured the interest of fans and offered them a new and exciting experience. In addition, this live music event was streamed online not only in Japan but also overseas, thereby garnering significant worldwide attention.

THE IDOLM@STER series THE IDOLM@STER is game content that allows players to become “idol producers” seeking to cultivate new idols. Started in July 2005 as a game for amusement facilities, THE IDOLM@STER has since grown to include game apps for smartphones, home console games, live events, music CDs, animations, theatrical films, radio broadcasts, and merchandise. In 2025, the series will mark its 20th anniversary since its inception.

Love Live! series Love Live! is an IP project revolving around high school girls who seek to make their dreams come true by becoming “school idols.” Based on the theme of “May Our Dreams Come True!,” Love Live! encompasses various forms of media. Starting with the first Love Live! in 2010, we have released new works for this IP one after the other. These works include a wide range of media, including TV animation broadcasts telling the stories of each character, and live music events with cast members who play the roles of the characters.

Creating an event that resonates with each IP’s fans and that the cast members themselves can enjoy

Shin Sasaki In combining the THE IDOLM@STER series and the Love Live! series, we anticipated that there would be a high level of affinity between these two franchises, as they both feature idols who sing and dance and they both have experience and know-how performing at Tokyo Dome. Furthermore, in 2025 THE IDOLM@STER series and the Love Live! series will celebrate their 20th and 15th anniversaries, respectively. To commemorate these milestones, we wanted to implement an initiative that would serve as a catalyst for maximizing the value of these IPs.
With that said, we had to place the most emphasis on ensuring that this event would resonate with the fans of both IPs and that it could be enjoyed by the over 100 cast members who would actually be performing on stage. To that end, leading up to the event, we sought to foster a collaborative atmosphere between the two IPs, including broadcasting collaborative online streams. As a result, we were able to gain the support of a large number of fans by building up the concept of “IJIGEN FES” in a detailed manner, and the event itself was widely enjoyed by fans, with many asking when another such event will take place.
In addition to making a lasting impact on fans, the event enabled the three Group companies responsible for facilitating the collaboration to share methods, frameworks, and know-how. This in turn fostered positive synergy between the IPs. The IJIGEN FES initiative provided us with new perspectives and experience, as it brought together many Group strengths under the ALL BANDAI NAMCO concept, while maintaining the proper level of respect for each IP.

Contributing to the maximization of IP value through IJIGEN FES

Takaaki Suzuki Holding the second IJIGEN FES, for which fans have high hopes, is a major theme of discussion for us moving forward. The objective of IJIGEN FES was to create a brand-new style of live music event to capture the interest of fans. There is the concern that we can no longer replicate that “first-time experience” with IJIGEN FES upon holding the event a second time. However, we are looking forward to taking on new challenges in holding the second IJIGEN FES, exploring the possibilities of various combinations, including determining how we can combine IPs to create new collaborations and what kinds of IPs we can combine that would be unexpected but also desired by fans.
In addition, the global rollout of events such as IJIGEN FES is another major effort we ought to pursue. For example, we face many issues in holding IJIGEN FES overseas, as was the case when we did it in Japan, including sending a cast of over 100 members on an overseas tour and determining appropriate sales methods of merchandise. We do not have an extensive track record of holding live events overseas, so each Group company first needs to build up experience by holding an adequate number of different live events overseas.
Additionally, we are currently building a concert hall with a 2,000-person capacity in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, slated to be completed in 2026. The ward of Shibuya has continued to grow as an area that sets both national and global trends, and we hope that our concert hall in this area will serve as a place where we can deepen our connections with people, society, and the world through a wide range of music and other live events. Also, as this will be a Group-owned concert hall, we aim to utilize it as a place for taking on new and experimental challenges so that we can create new Group IPs and cultivate new artists.
Not only did the first IJIGEN FES deliver to fans a brand-new style of live music event, its success also contributed significantly to the maximization of IP value. Moving forward, we will continue to pursue new challenges by exploring the possibilities of various combinations for promoting initiatives that unlock new potential under the IP axis strategy.

Messages from the personnel in charge

Shin Sasaki

For the next IJIGEN FES, we will thoroughly consider how to combine IPs so that we can once again create a brand-new live music event experience.

Takaaki Suzuki

By having new staff members participate in future IJIGEN FES events, we can expect to see new ideas and perspectives that will help us tackle a variety of challenges.