• Comment: Notability for video games typically requires evidence of coverage and reception from review sources, of the kind you can find here: WP:VG/S. Obviously as an international game WP:NONENG sources are probably needed. Were there reliable reviews for the game? VRXCES (talk) 08:59, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

The SuperStar
Developer(s)Dalcomsoft US, Inc.
SeriesSuperStar
EngineUnity
Platform(s)iOS, Android
Release
Genre(s)Music, Rhythm

The SuperStar[c] was a 2021 rhythm game developed by Dalcomsoft US, Inc. It was first released for select regions on April 1, 2021 and later released in the United States on July 1, 2021.[1] The game featured mainstream artists of several genres, stepping out the series' original K-pop route. The game was playable in English, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Turkish.

The game ended its service on September 19, 2024, following a year-long hiatus of no updates being introduced to the game.

Background and release

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The SuperStar's release was announced on March 15, 2021 as a partnership between Interscope Records and the Korean branch of Dalcomsoft. Shortly after the announcement, the game was made available in the App Store and Google Play Store. Players could also pre-register for the game's download before its release.

To encourage pre-registration from players, a campaign was held so rewards could be earned by hitting goals from 30,000 to 100,000 pre-registered players.[3] The game could only hit its first goal, and rewards were distributed as normal.

On March 31, 2021, it was announced that the game would be released on April 1, 2021.[4] The release was met with lukewarm reception from fans.[5] While some praised the game's ability to adapt to new music markets, others criticized the game's lack of content. On June 30, 2021, the game's service was transferred to Dalcomsoft's American branch, and was made available in several other regions[a] on July 1, 2021.

Gameplay

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The game followed the SuperStar series' traditional gameplay. When playing a song, tap descending buttons when they align with the bottom bar of the screen accurately for a better hit score. When collecting cards,[d] the goal is to obtain an artist's cards of a specific theme for a higher score when playing songs.

The game also featured Prism cards.[e] The design of these were changed from an iredescent color scheme, to a holographic overlay. These provide bonus score to the player when a song is played. The SuperStar's format of Prism cards would go on to be featured on all of the following editions of the SuperStar series, with the exception of games produced by Dalcomsoft's Japanese branch.

History

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2021: Official releases and roster expansion

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Following its initial release on April 1, 2021, the game started to have regular weekly updates to its live service. Following an update on May 25, 2021, the game would change their live service to a bi-weekly schedule.

In June 23, 2021, Dalcomsoft announced the transfer of the service from its Korean branch to its American branch ocurring on June 30, 2021, in the hopes of smoothing the contents of future updates.

Following the service transfer, the game would go on to hold its first ever limited theme card sale,[6] which SuperStar series' games usually hold during its first to second week of service.

During this time period, it was being reported that Dalcomsoft was in talks with other major record labels to add their roster's artists to the game.[7] Talks would eventually materialize in July 15, 2021, as Australian electronic dance group Rüfüs Du Sol (part of Reprise Records, owned by Warner Music Group) were added to the game.[6]

2022: First anniversary hiatus and Columbia Records addition

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On April 1, 2022, the first anniversary of the game was celebrated with new events and offers in the game. The events were originally scheduled to end on April 26, 2022, although internal issues would cause this to be extended twice, causing a stop to all updates until June 7, in which Machine Gun Kelly would be added.

During the third to final quarter of the year, Dalcomsoft began the addition of Columbia Records artists to its lineup, with The Kid Laroi, 24kGoldn, Lil Nas X, Rosalía and Nicky Youre being part of new additions. The introduction of new content posed challenges for the developers, forcing an extension of the game's update schedule from every two weeks to nearly a month.

2023-2024: Final hiatus and end of service

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The final group to be added to The SuperStar would be American pop rock duo LANY, which would go on to have 2 dedicated updates from January to March 2023. Following the event's running period, a final hiatus would strike the players until August 14, 2024, in which the game's end of service would be announced.

The developers announced the game would end its service on September 19, 2024. Paid offers were removed on August 29 and special events along with refund processing were held until the eventual disconnection of the game's servers.

Soundtrack

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The SuperStar's soundtrack featured 20 artists and over 90 songs. Each could be played in either easy, normal or hard mode. The following tracks were available in the game:

2021

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Songs featured on The SuperStar added in 2021
Artist Song Year[f] Release date
Billie Eilish "Bellyache" 2017 April 1, 2021
"Copycat"
"Ocean Eyes"
"Bad Guy" 2019
"Bury a Friend"
"My Future" 2020
"All the Good Girls Go to Hell" 2019 April 13, 2021
"You Should See Me in a Crown" 2018 July 6, 2021
"Everything I Wanted" 2019
"NDA" 2021 September 14, 2021
"Happier Than Ever"
"Therefore I Am" November 2, 2021
"Lost Cause" December 14, 2021
Blackbear "Me & Ur Ghost" 2020 May 11, 2021
"1 Sided Love" 2019 September 7, 2021
"Do Re Mi" 2017 October 19, 2021
DJ Snake "Middle" 2015 June 3, 2021
"Magenta Riddim" 2018 August 3, 2021
Ellie Goulding "Love Me like You Do" 2015 April 1, 2021
June 3, 2021[g]
Gryffin "Body Back" 2019 April 6, 2021
June 29, 2021[g]
Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" 2012 April 1, 2021
"Demons" 2013
"Whatever It Takes" 2017
"Believer"
"Thunder"
"Natural" 2018
"Born to Be Yours" April 27, 2021
"On Top of the World" 2013 December 7, 2021
Juice Wrld "All Girls Are the Same" 2018 July 6, 2021
"Legends" July 27, 2021
"Empty" 2019 July 27, 2021
"Lean wit Me" 2018 October 12, 2021
Lady Gaga "Just Dance" 2008 April 1, 2021
"Paparazzi"
"Poker Face"
"Bad Romance" 2009
"Always Remember Us This Way" 2018
"Rain On Me" 2020 June 15, 2021
Olivia Rodrigo "Drivers License" 2021 August 24, 2021
"Good 4 U"
Rae Sremmurd "Come Get Her" 2015 April 1, 2021
"No Type"
"Black Beatles"[h] 2016
"Swang"
Rüfüs Du Sol "Treat You Better" 2018 July 15, 2021
"Underwater"
"Alive" 2021
Selena Gomez "Hands to Myself" 2015 April 1, 2021
"It Ain't Me" 2017
"Bad Liar"
"Wolves"
"I Can't Get Enough" 2019
"Look at Her Now" 2020
"Back to You" 2018 April 20, 2021
"Lose You to Love Me" 2019 August 3, 2021
"Rare" 2020 September 28, 2021
X Ambassadors "Unsteady" 2015 August 10, 2021
"Renegades"
Zedd "I Want You to Know" 2015 April 1, 2021
"Get Low" 2017 April 1, 2021
June 29, 2021[g]

2022

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Songs featured on The SuperStar added in 2022
Artist Song Year[f] Release date
24kGoldn "3, 2, 1" 2021 August 2, 2022
"Mood" September 27, 2022
Imagine Dragons "Follow You" January 11, 2022
"Wrecked" March 8, 2022
Lil Nas X "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" August 2, 2022
Machine Gun Kelly "My Ex's Best Friend" 2020 June 14, 2022
Nicky Youre "Sunroof" 2021 November 29, 2022
Olivia Rodrigo "Happier" 2021 November 29, 2022
Rosalía "Malamente" 2018 August 23, 2022
The Kid Laroi "Stay" 2021 July 5, 2022
"So Done" 2020 November 1, 2022

2023

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Songs featured on The SuperStar added in 2023
Artist Song Year[f] Release date
LANY "Ex I Never Had" 2021 January 10, 2023
"ILYSB" 2017 February 14, 2023

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Referred to as a US release by articles[1], although the game was also released on European, Australasian and Canadian regions.
  2. ^ Referred to as a "global open" release by the developers.[2]
  3. ^ Sometimes stylized as "THE SUPERSTAR", "TheSuperStar" and "THE SuperStar". Commonly acronymized to "TSS".
  4. ^ Formerly referred to as "Star Cards", now simply referred to as "Cards".
  5. ^ Previously featured in the BTS and GFriend editions of the game.
  6. ^ a b c Based on data provided in the game.
  7. ^ a b c Release date of the "Verse 2" version of the song.
  8. ^ A different version of the song is used, therefore it is credited as "No Gucci Mane version".

References

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  1. ^ a b Cirisano, Tatiana (January 21, 2022). "Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga & More Join U.S. Version of Hit Korean Game 'The Superstar'". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  2. ^ @t_h_e_superstar (April 1, 2021). "🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 2, 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "The SuperStar Official Website". The SuperStar. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  4. ^ @t_h_e_superstar (March 31, 2021). "#TheSuperStar Coming Soon!..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 2, 2024 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "Dalcomsoft To Launch New "SuperStar" Game For Western Artists". Koreaboo. March 15, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Kim, Na-rae (July 15, 2021). "빌보드에도 소개된 달콤소프트…'슈퍼스타 시리즈'로 미국 팬 잡는다" [Dalcomsoft, also featured on Billboard… Capturing American fans with the ‘Superstar Series’]. NewsPim (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Perez, Jennifer (July 1, 2021). "The Superstar App Launches in U.S. With Mainstream Artists". Patch. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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