No. 1 popular game among Japanese women causes “silent update” scandal 

The game Ensemble Stars!! Music has come under fire by Japanese users for “silently” updating the design of an event card after the event ended and players already acquired the card. As a result the term サイレント修正 (silent update) trended on Twitter in Japan. 

Ensemble Stars!! Music is a mobile rhythm game that belongs to the Ensemble Stars! Japanese game franchise and is currently ranked the number 1 app among Japanese women. After a recent in-game event, the game has caused an outrage for revising the illustration of an event card. 

The card in question is a five-star event reward card titled “(Number Carrying a Dream) Rinne Amagi.” Throughout the event, the card illustration featured the character Rinne Amagi without his headband, which is a part of his original design and on-stage look. However, after the event had already ended, the card illustration was updated to include the headband without notice to users. This caused dissatisfaction among players, who turned to social media to express their criticism. 

But why is this seemingly trivial detail causing such an uproar? Firstly, as the card illustration featured the character without his headband and with his hair down, it gave the impression of a rare off-stage depiction of the character, raising the card’s perceived value and appeal to players. 

But fans being disappointed about their favorite character’s off-stage “vibe” being gone isn’t all there is to the story. As the card in question is a five-star reward card, it required a significant amount of event points to acquire, so players who wanted the card had to grind for it while using up their in-game gacha currency. While the in-game curreny “dia” can be acquired through login bonuses and similar, it’s a given that many players acquire it through real transactions, meaning that the card they decide to use it for is essentially a product they have chosen to buy. This undoubtedly contributed to players feeling so cheated by the card being changed (thus losing value) after the event ended. 

Though likely an honest attempt to correct a mistake on the developer’s part, the nature of the “error” made many players think that the card was rare and want to acquire it, making them feel scammed after it was silently changed. 

On a side note, as only the words “silent update” started trending on Twitter, people unfamiliar with the situation became curious and looked into what was happening, some finding the ordeal comical, and some contributing with their favourite examples of silent updates, such as this silent attempt to make an FGO character’s eyes less creepy.