BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!,[b] also known as Garupa or Bandori, is a mobile
rhythm game developed by Craft Egg and published by
Bushiroad for the
Android and
iOS platforms. Part of Bushiroad's BanG Dream! music franchise, it was released in Japan in March 2017, and worldwide in April 2018. The game was also released by Mobimon Inc. in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan in October 2017, by
Kakao Games in Korea in February 2018, and by
bilibili in mainland China in May 2019. A
Nintendo Switch port of the game was released in Japan in September 2021; unlike the
free-to-play mobile version, it is a
premium game.
Girls Band Party! has enjoyed success in Japan and worldwide, and is credited with helping the franchise grow in popularity. A spin-off
anime series based on the game titled BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico began airing in 2018.
The game's setting mainly follows the BanG Dream! universe after the anime's first season.[2]Girls Band Party! consists of the main story, band stories, and event stories, each of which are split into seasons.
In the main story's first season, the
player character is a self-named worker at the live house CiRCLE who is tasked by fellow staff member Marina Tsukishima with recruiting groups for the Girls Band Party event.[3]Poppin'Party, the franchise's main band, assists the player in their scouting,[4] during which they enlist the groups
Roselia, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, and Hello, Happy World!.[5] The second season focuses on CiRCLE's plans to host a second Girls Band Party.
Band stories individually focus on the bands.[6] Poppin'Party has four such stories: the first, "Poppin'Party is Born!", is a retelling of their formation from the anime's first season;[7] the second, "Colorful, Poppin' Candy", details the band's efforts to save the downtown festival;[8] "Double Rainbow" centers on an argument between the five when keyboardist
Arisa Ichigaya finds herself compounded by her studies and commitment to the band;[9] "Live Beyond!!" focuses on the band's participation in the Rocking Star Festival and desire to spread their music.[10] Afterglow's first two band stories "Afterglow, The Same As Always" and "Tied to the Skies" follow vocalist
Ran Mitake's growth, including rebelling against her disapproving father in the former and her relationship with her bandmates as she progresses as a person in the latter,[11][9] while the third "One of Us" tells of the band's efforts to play in a music event.[12][13] Pastel Palettes' disastrous debut concert and attempts to change their reputation are covered in "Pastel Palettes, The Beginning",[14] while "Luminous Once More" discusses the members' dreams and goals and "Title Idol" introduces a sister idol unit.[9][15] Roselia's creation is detailed in their first story "Bloom of the Blue Rose",[16] "Neo-Aspect" follows their efforts to rediscover their pride after a falling-out,[17] and the band ponders its future in "Sprechchor".[18] Hello, Happy World!'s first two stories "Smiles To The World! Hello, Happy Union!" and "I Need You!" focus on their plans to cheer up an injured friend of the band and restoring an old amusement park, respectively,[19][9] and the band's third "Smile Connection!" follows their trip to a foreign country.[20] The first band stories for
Morfonica and
Raise A Suilen discuss their formations, the latter of which is a retelling of BanG Dream! 3rd Season.[21] Morfonica's second, "Fly with the night", concerns violinist
Rui Yashio's future with the band, while RAS' "Coruscate -DNA-" revolves around band leader
Chiyu Tamade and her family.[22]
Events, in which players compete with one another for the highest total score during a given time period, are complemented by stories. Examples of event stories include "Sakura Blooming Party!", where the first-year students convene for a
sakura viewing party, and "A Song Unfinished", in which Roselia's vocalist
Yukina Minato struggles to perform a song her father had written.[23]
Gameplay
Girls Band Party!'s gameplay consists of tapping notes as they slide toward the bottom to the rhythm of a chosen song; such notes exist as taps, drag notes that players must hold, flick notes, and special yellow notes that activate character skills and lines mid-performance.[24] Players are given 1,000
health points to clear a song, but one can adjust song speed, difficulty level, and note size to their liking.[24][25] In lieu of a energy system that is prevalent in most
free-to-play games, Girls Band Party! utilizes Live Boosts that increases rewards for completing a song, and players can continue playing even when they run out of boosts.[26]
Songs are generally one minute and 30 seconds in length, though full-length tracks for some tracks are available.[27] In 2019, the game introduced a
music video feature that replaces the in-game background with clips from the anime such as opening themes and performances.[28][27] Some songs were created by the winning bands in the game's General Election, a series of voting contests based on a certain topic. For example, the second election mixed the bands' members to form different units; the winning group (High School Part Time Workers) resulted in the song "You're Not Alone", which would be used as an
insert song in the anime's second season.[29][30]
Besides original songs,
cover versions of popular music by the five bands are also playable. The addition of cover songs was inspired by their positive reception during BanG Dream!'s first live concerts, with franchise creator
Takaaki Kidani comparing them to the use of mainstream series in Bushiroad's Weiß Schwarz card game as "drops in momentum" are canceled out by "the addition of popular titles."[31] The international versions also have region-exclusive tracks: in 2018, the Korean server partnered with
K-pop group
GFriend to include their songs "
Me Gustas Tu" and "
Time for the Moon Night",[32] while the English game featured
Pinkfong's "
Baby Shark" and daniwellP's "
Nyan Cat" for a limited time.[33][34] Duet covers between the bands and the original artists, such as Poppin'Party performing "Days of Dash" with
Konomi Suzuki, are categorized as "Extra" songs.[35]
Players gain experience points (EXP) by clearing songs and listening to
overworld conversations between characters.[43] Characters are fully voiced with
2.5D movement via
Live2D technology, and their interactions are depicted in a
visual novel-style presentation.[44][6] Further dialogues can be attain by improving cards and attaining more EXP.[43][26] EXP also improves a band's rank, which unlocks additional chapters in band stories.[25] Cards, which use a star ranking system to determine rarity (five stars being the rarest), are acquired via the
gacha system, a luck-based mechanic in which players spend the in-game currency Stars with the hope of winning their desired cards. Although Girls Band Party! is a free-to-play game, players can spend real-life money to acquire more stars.[45]
The game's
multiplayer, known as Multi Live, is a cooperative mode in which five players try to record a high cumulative score. During performances, the team can earn more points when they maximize a "Fever Chance" combo bar and enter "Fever" mode.[26]Player versus player multiplayer modes are also available such as VS Live and Team Live, the latter of which is a five-on-five format.[46][47]
During the game's anniversaries in March, new content is added and the main story is updated. The second anniversary in 2019 saw the introduction of an overworld lounge that features new character interactions and animations.[48] The following year, Raise A Suilen and Morfonica were added as playable bands, while new gameplay mechanics included Live2D animation during lives and a "rehearsal" mode that allows players to practice songs without fearing health depletion.[49] The fourth anniversary introduced the Team Live mode, character birthday gacha cards, and sideways flick notes.[47] Stage Challenge, a game mode in which players are restricted to certain band lineups and progress by attaining target scores, and multiplayer music video functionality were implemented in 2022.[50] A "super-large update" took place for the six-year celebration with the addition of a third Main Story season, five star rarity, and 3D animated videos for fan-voted songs.[51]
Development
BanG Dream! was formed in 2014 by Bushiroad head
Takaaki Kidani, whose company had enjoyed success with the rhythm game Love Live! School Idol Festival.[31] Bushiroad reached out to
CyberAgent's Craft Egg, who agreed to create a BanG Dream! game after expressing interest in the franchise's premise of voice actresses capable of playing their own instruments. After initially considering a
simulation or puzzle game, Craft Egg CEO Shuichi Morikawa opted to frame it as a music game. To differentiate Girls Band Party! from competing titles in the genre, Craft Egg included cover songs, which was inspired by Poppin'Party's usage of such music in its live concerts, and made it free to play.[52] Kō Nakamura, who created the story for BanG Dream! and the lyrics for Poppin'Party's original songs, had no involvement in writing the game's storyline.[53]
Development of the game ran from August to November 2016, with hopes of releasing it in coordination with the anime's broadcast in March 2017.[54] The game was created using
Unity engine.[54] It was officially announced on September 15, 2016, at
Tokyo Game Show, where Roselia's members made their debut.[55] The other vocalists
Ayane Sakura (Afterglow's Ran),
Ami Maeshima (Pastel Palettes'
Aya Maruyama), and
Miku Itō (Hello, Happy World!'s
Kokoro Tsurumaki) were officially confirmed during a presentation on December 7 at
Sunshine City, Tokyo,[56] while Afterglow's voice actresses revealed their involvement with the project on
Twitter during the month.[57] The remaining cast members were revealed during a show at EX Theater Roppongi to promote the game on February 24, 2017.[58]
In-game character dialogue is recorded in groups, such as between band members, to allow for a natural atmosphere in conversations.[59] When
Yurika Endō (
Lisa Imai) and
Satomi Akesaka (
Rinko Shirokane) departed the franchise, their successors
Yuki Nakashima and
Kanon Shizaki re-recorded their characters' lines; conversely, Maeshima's voice acting for Aya remains in the game after her exit and replacement.[60][61]
Pre-registration opened on January 1, 2017;[62] Kidani heavily encouraged others to pre-register when the anime, which began airing that month, received mediocre reviews.[31] By the game's launch in March, over 560,000 players had completed the process.[62] Closed beta testing launched on February 17.[25]
Release and marketing
The game was first released in Japan on March 16, 2017.[62] Mobimon Inc. published a
traditional Chinese-language version in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan which was released on October 19.[63][64] A Korean server by
Kakao Games went live on February 6, 2018.[65][32] An English global version was first launched in
Singapore on March 29, 2018, followed by a worldwide release on April 4.[66] Mainland China would receive its own server by
bilibili on May 30, 2019.[67]
An
augmented reality application based on the game titled BanG Dream! Garupa AR! was distributed for a limited period starting January 9, 2018.[68] In 2019, Girls Band Party! partnered with SCRAP Co. to organize "Find the Random Star!", an
escape room-like game in which participants search for
Kasumi Toyama's lost guitar by solving riddles located throughout the city. The event ran from December 4, 2019, to February 29, 2020, in
Tokyo,
Nagoya, and
Osaka.[69]
Various promotional events have been held to support the game. On January 13–14, 2018, the franchise's five bands participated in the Garupa Live and Garupa Party! at
Tokyo Big Sight, which included a tournament and performances.[70] In 2019 and 2020, the game was a title sponsor for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling's
Wrestle Kingdom 13 and
14;[71][72]Kenny Omega, then a wrestler for Bushiroad-owned NJPW, starred in a commercial for the game.[73] Actor
Toshihiro Yashiba, actress
Marie Iitoyo, and
YouTubersHikakin and
Fischer's have also starred in advertisements for Girls Band Party!.[74][75] A joint commercial between Girls Band Party! and the movie Ao-Natsu, the latter of which featured a cameo appearance from
Aimi of Poppin'Party, aired in June 2018 and starred the film's lead roles
Wakana Aoi and Hayano Sato.[76][77]
In May 2018, Girls Band Party! partnered with
Sega's arcade rhythm game Ongeki to include the vocalists as playable characters and opponents in the latter; songs from BanG Dream! are also available.[78][79] A collaboration with fellow smartphone game Lost Decade took place in August 2020 where Roselia's voice actresses appeared in Lost Decade's in-game radio show and the band's characters became attainable.[80] In April 2022, PuraOre! Smile Princess had an event co-starring Poppin'Party in which players could attain gacha cards with the band members.[81]
BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico, a
chibi anime series by
Sanzigen, premiered on July 5, 2018.[82] A spin-off from the main BanG Dream! anime, Pico has produced two additional seasons in 2020 and 2021.[83][84] Bushiroad and
Kadokawa Corporation also released an
anthology series manga called BanG Dream! Garupa Pico Comic Anthology, which features comics from 17 artists, on March 14, 2019.[85] A manga adaptation of the event stories, titled BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! The First Page, was released on March 16, 2021.[47]
To celebrate the game's fifth anniversary, a two-part animation from Sanzigen titled BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! 5th Anniversary Animation: CiRCLE Thanks Party! was released on March 10 and 17, 2022.[86]
On October 11, 2023, the Korean server announced that it will cease operations on January 31, 2024.[citation needed] As gifts, all players on the server were given 450,000 Stars and 800 Boost Drinks to use.
On December 18, 2023, it was announced that Craft Egg would no longer be involved as co-developers as of January 4, 2024.
Bushiroad took over development.[1]
Nintendo Switch port
On February 28, 2021, Bushiroad announced a
Nintendo Switch port.[87] Rocket Studio assisted in developing the port.[88] A demo was launched on August 5 ahead of its release in Japan on September 16.[89] Unlike the mobile game which is free-to-play, the Switch version is a premium game.[90]
In addition to the traditional touchscreen mechanics via the Switch's handheld mode, the game can be played on a television using the
Joy-Con controllers; a special difficulty level is reserved for Joy-Con gameplay.[91] Unlike the
microtransactions in the mobile version, the Switch game allows players to acquire cards by collecting tickets earned by playing the game and reading the stories. Cards from the mobile game are also ported with the exception of those from collaborations.[89] At its release, the in-game universe was set in the main story's first season. Content from the second season, including Morfonica and Raise A Suilen, were added via
downloadable content on January 27, 2022.[92]
According to Bushiroad executive Kazuhiko Hirose, the port was created to appeal to demographics outside the mobile gaming market.[88] Comedian and bodybuilder Nakayama Kinnikun assisted in promoting its release with a series of online commercials.[93]
Reception
BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! has garnered positive reviews, with
ComicsVerse's Jessica Liong regarding it as "arguably the most popular" animated aspect of the franchise.[94] Speaking with Real Sound in 2018, Kidani remarked "everything just went through the roof" after the game's release, noting its "level of polish" was among the factors that helped the franchise gain popularity.[31]
In a 2018 review for ComicsVerse, Hayden Moseley noted the game grants "too much freedom" for players, which is beneficial for those experienced with rhythm games but the contrary for newcomers. Despite this, he suggested much of its appeal comes from the interactions between characters, comparing it to "watching a playable anime." He also praised GBP for its "complex" but "rewarding and incredibly fun" gameplay, concluding that "the music and the girls are completely worth exploring."[45] Describing it as "a super sweet rhythm game", Elizabeth Henges of
XDA Developers listed GBP as one of the best Android games of 2020 and wrote that although the gacha system "can be annoying at times", one "can easily get by without spending money, and playing online with friends is a blast."[95]
In Japan, the game surpassed four million downloads in its first six months following release;[96] by November 2019, it had over 11 million Japanese players.[97] It grossed ¥31.2 billion ($284.28 million) between 2017 and 2018, including ¥9.1 billion in 2017 and ¥22.1 billion in 2018.[98][99] In 2018, the game was the 15th most successful mobile game and the second-most successful rhythm game in Japan in terms of revenue, only behind The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage.[99] The game's worldwide English server exceeded one million downloads in two months,[100] followed by reaching ten million in August 2018.[101]
GBP has received awards in Japan like the
App Store's "Top Game Ranking" and
Google Play's "Grand Prize for Players' Choice Game and Attractive Game" in 2017.[102]
Notes
^Rocket Studio developed the Nintendo Switch version.
^Japanese: バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!,
Hepburn: Bandori! Gārusu Bando Pāti!
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Main Story. Level/area: Opening 1. Marina: You've been working here a while now, huh? How are you finding it? Well that's great to hear. [...] I'm sure you know that this live house was created to help support all the girl bands we have in town. Well, there's going to be an event here soon where all those girl bands can come and play live. [...] The only problem is... We haven't had a single band sign up yet. I mean, I know we're not the most famous place in the world, but still...
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Main Story 1. Level/area: Let's find some girls bands!. Sāya: Huh... It sounds like each band really has its own identity. This should be interesting. / Marina: They really do! And that's exactly what we want from this event, to bring together bands of all different styles and have a big party together~. And so~... if we really want to make a success of it, I'll need you guys to get out there and secure Roselia for me, but... / Kasumi: Of course, we'll help you! / Arisa: What?! H-hold on a second...! / Tae: It does sound like fun. I'd like to meet more bands myself.
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Main Story 1.
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Colorful, Poppin' Candy. Level/area: Let's Bring Back The Festival!. Kasumi: We have to do something! About the festival! / Sāya: We all want to, but... there's no really anything we can do... / Kasumi: There must be something! We just have to find it! I just... I really want us to have our star candies...
^
abcd"バンドストーリー2章特設サイト" [Band Story Chapter 2 Special Site]. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (in Japanese).
Bushimo. Archived from
the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Afterglow, The Same As Always. Level/area: Same as always.
^Kubota (October 11, 2020).
"『ガルパ』シナリオ担当者を直撃。バンドストーリー3章でも追加楽曲が大きな意味を持つ" [Meet the person in charge of the "Girls Band Party" story. Additional songs have a big meaning in the third chapter of the band story]. Dengeki (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Tsukasa, Kōyō.
ASCII Media Works. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
^"「ガルパ」のイベント「ONE OF US」が10月10日に開幕" ["Girls Band Party" event "ONE OF US" opens on October 10th]. Craft Egg (Press release) (in Japanese).
4Gamer.net. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Pastel Palettes, The Beginning. Level/area: Idol Band.
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Bloom Of The Blue Rose. Level/area: Blue Rose. Ako: Roselia's Drummer of Darkness is ready to give it all she's got, too! Roselia... It's such a cool-sounding name... How did you come up with it, by the way? / Yukina: It's a rose and a camellia. A blue rose, to be specific... That is my image of our band... / Ako: Your image...? / Rinko: (A blue rose... If I remember rightly, they symbolize achieving the impossible...)
^Craft Egg. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (iOS/Android). Bushiroad. Scene: Neo-Aspect. Level/area: We Are Roselia!. Yukina: Clocks and gears...? Not the type of motif we usually go for. / Rinko: Time for us... stopped for a moment... However... the clock's hands... are in motion... once again... I want us to move forward together... That's what I felt... when I decided on this design...
^Yuda, Masaru; Sawamura, Eisuke; Tsuji, Kōta (June 11, 2020).
"『ガルパ』開発陣インタビュー。MorfonicaとRAISE A SUILEN実装の裏側に迫る!" [Interview with the development team of "Girls Band Party". Get behind the scenes of Morfonica and RAISE A SUILEN implementations!]. Dengeki (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Tsukasa, Kōyō.
ASCII Media Works. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
^
abc"「バンドリ!ガールズバンドパーティ!」クローズドβテストをプレイ!ストーリーとリズムゲームの両面に注力した魅力を紹介" ["BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" Playing the closed beta test! Introducing charm that focuses on both story and rhythm game]. Gamer (in Japanese). February 24, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^
abcdKidani, Takaaki (November 6, 2018).
"ブシロード 木谷高明が語る、『バンドリ!』プロジェクトの軌跡と未来 「何十年も続く作品にしたい」" [Bushiroad's Takaaki Kitani talks about BanG Dream!'s project trajectory and future: "I want to make a work that will last for decades"] (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Sunaga, Kenji. Real Sound. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
^"『ガルパ』新情報まとめ。『おジャ魔女どれみ』コラボが開催決定" ["Garupa" new information summary. "Oja Witch Doremi" collaboration will be held]. Dengeki (in Japanese).
ASCII Media Works. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
^"FAQ". BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!.
Bushiroad. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
^
abc"「バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!」の4周年情報が公開!「スター×7000」プレゼントや1日10回無料ガチャなどを実施" [4th anniversary information of "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" has been released! "Star x 7000" gifts and free gachas 10 times a day]. Gamer (in Japanese). March 1, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
^"新機能「ラウンジ」" [New function "Lounge"]. BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (in Japanese). Retrieved March 18, 2020.
^"「バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!」新たなキービジュアルや各バンドの新衣装が公開" ["BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" New key visuals and new costumes for each band are now available!]. Gamer (in Japanese). March 7, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^Morikawa, Shuichi (May 16, 2019).
"『ガルパ』はいつでも"帰ってこられる"場所。Craft Egg・森川修一が2周年を迎えて願うこと" ["Garupa" is a place where you can always come home. Craft Egg, Shuichi Morikawa wishes for the second anniversary] (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Oikawa, Ichino.
Livedoor. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
^Nakamura, Kō (May 15, 2019).
"Poppin′Partyに関しては一切出し惜しみしていない。小説家・中村航が語る『バンドリ!』歌詞の秘密" [I have not spared anything about Poppin'Party. The novelist Kō Nakamura talks about "Bandori!" The secret of the lyrics] (in Japanese). Interviewed by Oikawa, Ichino.
Livedoor. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
^"「バンドリ!」に伊藤美来さん,佐倉綾音さん,前島亜美さんが出演決定" [Miku Ito, Ayane Sakura, and Ami Maeshima will appear in "BanG Dream!"]. Craft Egg (Press release) (in Japanese).
4Gamer.net. December 8, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^"『バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!』(ガルパ)新キャストに日笠陽子、金元寿子らが!" ["BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! (Garupa)" Yoko Hikasa and Hisako Kanemoto will be in the new cast!]. Famitsu (in Japanese). December 12, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^"「バンドリ!ガールズバンドパーティ!」,発表会&体験会の公式レポートが公開に" ["[BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!] Presentation & Hands-on Event" A total of 14 cast members have appeared! The gameplay is a turbulent development!?]. Craft Egg (Press release) (in Japanese).
4Gamer.net. February 27, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^"『バンドリ!』Roselia 白金燐子のキャスト交代時期が発表―3月の2周年アップデートより順次差し替え" ["BanG Dream!" Roselia's Shirokane Rinko's cast replacement time announced-Sequential replacement from March 2nd anniversary update]. Inside Games (in Japanese). February 25, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
^"全日本都在瘋《BanG Dream! 少女樂團派對》中文版台港澳正式登場!" [The Japanese version of "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party" is officially launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau!]. Mobimon Inc. (in Chinese). October 3, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
^东施 (May 30, 2019).
"《BanG Dream! 少女乐团派对!》iOS版本正式上线 一同奏响我们的乐章" ["BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" IOS version is officially launched] (in Chinese). 7k7k. Archived from
the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
^"バンドリ!って何?新日本プロレス東京ドーム大会をプレゼンツする!" [Bandori! What? Presenting the New Japan Wrestling Tokyo Dome Tournament!]. Weekly Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). May 5, 2020. Archived from
the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
^"矢柴俊博が、「バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!」のCMに出演中です。" [Toshihiro Yashiba is appearing in the commercial for "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!".]. Creative Guardian (in Japanese). April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
^"「バンドリ! ガールズバンドパーティ!」飯豊まりえさんが出演する新テレビCMが放送決定!" ["BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!" A new TV commercial featuring Marie Iitoyo will be broadcast!]. Gamer. April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
^"葵わかな×佐野勇斗『青夏』タイアップCM3種を発表、「吟蔵の鈍感さに注目してほしい」" [Wakana Aoi x Hayato Sano "Youth" Three commercials announced, "Please pay attention to Ginzo's insensitivity"]. Livedoor (in Japanese). June 15, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
^"映画『青夏 きみに恋した30日』に人気声優の愛美さんが友情出演! 青春映画初出演で堂々とした演技ぶりを披露!" [Aimi, a popular voice actress, appears in the movie "Ao-Natsu Kimi ni Koi ni Koi 30th" as a friend! Show off her dignified performance in her first appearance in a teen movie!]. Animate (in Japanese). May 12, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
^"「バンドリ!」の3周年を記念した広告が東京,大阪の駅や周辺地域で掲出。ラッピング車両も登場" [Advertising commemorating the 3rd anniversary of "BanG Dream!" posted at stations in Tokyo and Osaka and surrounding areas]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
^"二次元アイドルモバイルゲーム売上分析" [2D Idol Mobile Game Sales Analysis] (PDF). Mobile Index. IGAWorks. May 2018.
^
ab"2018年アプリ収益予測@Game-i" [2018 App Revenue Forecast @ Game-i]. Game-i (in Japanese). Retrieved January 11, 2020.