Japanese publisher AUGUST announced on September 3 that it plans to release Uta Macross, an offline rebuild of the now defunct “Uta Macross: Smartphone De-Culture.” The new title is scheduled to launch around Spring 2027 for PC (Steam), iOS and Android.
The original Uta Macross: Smartphone De-Culture was a live-service rhythm game based on the acclaimed Macross sci-fi series. It included music from titles ranging from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, to Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross Frontier, and Macross Delta. As you played through the rhythm sections and met specific conditions, the game’s backgrounds would change, displaying anime and 3D footage featuring numerous singers and pilots from the series. The game was released by DeNa in August 2017 in Japan, and ran for almost 5 years before ending services in June 2022.
The new Uta Macross will bring back what the original game offered in a reformulated, offline experience. While retaining the same content – including 3D live performance scenes and exclusive illustrations – the new release comes with UI and system updates such as keyboard and mouse support. The base game will include 50 songs, over 20 costumes for each diva, and over 1,000 plates (collectible equipment cards) of 4-star rarity or higher. “Gacha” draws for upgrading the rarity of owned plates will also be completely free and unlimited. In addition to the base game, several DLCs are planned down the line, which will include additional songs, plates, and costumes from the live-service version.
According to AUGUST, following the service termination of Uta Macross: Smartphone De-Culture’s end of services, many fans voiced hope for its revival. This passion encouraged members of the original development team to reunite and launch a project to bring the game back. Development of the new Uta Macross is being handled by xeen (which was in charge of the original too), with AUGUST president Kei Hirono (formerly a producer at Bandai Namco and Square Enix) helming the project as producer.
Ahead of launch, the team also plans to conduct a crowdfunding campaign on the domestic platform Campfire. Through extra funding, the developers hope to expand to additional platforms and include new songs.
Uta Macross is scheduled to launch in Spring 2027 for PC (Steam), iOS and Android. The crowdfunding campaign will begin on September 10 at 20:00 JST.
