{"rewrite":{"id":"r_e75361f0704eb095f5ff88da","clusterId":"c_def8ed8bac5053ff0faa6466","slug":"tsunku-opens-up-about-11-year-wait-for-rhythm-heaven-miracle-stars","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Tsunku Opens Up About 11-Year Wait for Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars","summary":"Tsunku, the composer and producer behind the Rhythm Heaven series, published a free note on July 22 detailing the 11-year gap between the fourth and fifth entries, Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars, which launched on July 2 for Nintendo Switch. In the note, he admitted he wondered if the series would continue and that spreading rhythm was harder than he imagined. He revealed that fans who played the games as children grew up to work at game software companies and offered to create a similar but different series. Tsunku declined those offers out of loyalty to Nintendo, believing a proper sequel would eventually come. He also discussed his serious illness during the development period, saying Nintendo continued working on the game without stopping, which became a ray of hope. He mentioned former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, speculating that Iwata may have been battling illness around the same time, and offered his condolences. The note also covers the so-called \"curse of Rhythm Heaven,\" where new hardware releases have historically coincided with new Rhythm Heaven games. Tsunku noted that Miracle Stars works on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, which he takes positively.","whyItMatters":"Tsunku's note provides a rare, personal account of the decade-plus gap between Rhythm Heaven titles, revealing that he turned down outside offers for similar games out of loyalty to Nintendo, and that the company's continued development during his illness became a personal lifeline.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eTsunku released the note on July 22, making it free to read on his official note page. He titled it \u0026#34;Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars and Our 11 Years.\u0026#34; In the note, he said he received many supportive messages and requests for a new installment from fans around the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTsunku wrote that people who played Rhythm Heaven as children grew up to work at game software companies and offered him proposals for \u0026#34;a similar but different series.\u0026#34; He declined, saying, \u0026#34;I believed that someday there would be a next Rhythm Heaven with Nintendo, so I politely refused. That was my way of honoring the relationship I\u0026#39;ve had with them.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe reflected on the rapidly changing decade, including the state of game console hardware, ways to enjoy music, the weak yen, and AI becoming mainstream. He stated that Rhythm Heaven has restarted with the same analog feel as 20 years ago.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the latter part of the column, Tsunku said he believes that Ado and Yui Sakurai, who participated in this title, accepted the offer because of their own Rhythm Heaven experiences and spiritual connection with his works. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to popular artists who chose to participate even when they had already started work on competing games or anime, making it difficult to accept offers easily.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNintendo\u0026#39;s official website hosts a conversation between Tsunku and former president Satoru Iwata titled \u0026#34;Iwata Asks: Rhythm Heaven Gold.\u0026#34; A demo version of Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars is available on the Nintendo Store.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Tsunku says Nintendo continued developing Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars during his serious illness, and it became a ray of hope for him. He also speculates Iwata may have been battling illness at the same time.","twitterPost":"Tsunku turned down offers for a 'similar but different series' to Rhythm Heaven because he believed Nintendo would eventually make a proper sequel. The new game took 11 years.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Tsunku published a free note on July 22 detailing the 11-year wait for Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars. He reveals he turned down offers for similar games out of loyalty to Nintendo, and that the company's continued development during his illness became a personal lifeline. He also mentions former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260722j\",\"title\":\"Tsunku♂'s note about the production of 'Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars' released for free, discussing how he turned down offers for similar works believing there would be another 'Rhythm Heaven' and the frustrating phenomenon of 'new hardware always releasing around the launch period'\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/22/169583.html\",\"title\":\"First new 'Rhythm Heaven' in 11 years: 'Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars' - Tsunku talks about his feelings, mentions former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/07/23/27534.html\",\"title\":\"First new 'Rhythm Heaven' entry in 11 years, 'Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars'; there were also offers for a 'similar but different series' in the past. Tsunku talks about his feelings in a note, also mentioning former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.\"},{\"source\":\"Inside\",\"url\":\"https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2026/07/23/185010.html\",\"title\":\"11年ぶり新作『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』、過去に「よく似た違うシリーズ出しませんか」との話もあった。つんく♂noteで心境語り任天堂前社長の岩田聡についても言及\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":13276,"outputTokens":1639,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784737548,"createdAt":"2026-07-22T16:17:30.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-22T16:20:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T09:33:27.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_def8ed8bac5053ff0faa6466","canonicalTitle":"11年ぶり新作『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』、過去に「よく似た違うシリーズ出しませんか」との話もあった。つんく♂noteで心境語り任天堂前社長の岩田聡についても言及","representativeArticleId":"a_453245b819813968f186f3dd","sourceCount":4,"writtenSourceCount":4,"writeAttempts":1,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ\",\"Rhythm Heaven: Miracle Stars\"],\"studios\":[\"Nintendo\"],\"people\":[\"つんく♂\",\"岩田聡\",\"Ado\",\"櫻井優衣\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-22T08:15:02.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-23T08:45:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T09:33:27.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260722j","title":"『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』つんく♂氏が制作について語るnoteが無料公開。次の『リズム天国』があると信じて似た作品の制作を断っていた話や、「いつも発売時期に新ハードが出る」という歯がゆい現象について記載"},{"source":"Inside","url":"https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2026/07/23/185010.html","title":"11年ぶり新作『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』、過去に「よく似た違うシリーズ出しませんか」との話もあった。つんく♂noteで心境語り任天堂前社長の岩田聡についても言及"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/07/23/27534.html","title":"11年ぶり新作『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』、過去に「よく似た違うシリーズ出しませんか」との話もあった。つんく♂noteで心境語り任天堂前社長の岩田聡についても言及"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/22/169583.html","title":"11年ぶり新作『リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ』、過去に「よく似た違うシリーズ出しませんか」との話もあった。つんく♂noteで心境語り任天堂前社長の岩田聡についても言及"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["リズム天国 ミラクルスターズ","Rhythm Heaven: Miracle Stars"],"studios":["Nintendo"],"people":["つんく♂","岩田聡","Ado","櫻井優衣"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Rhythm Heaven Miracle Stars is the fifth series entry and the first new Rhythm Heaven game in 11 years, released on July 2 for Nintendo Switch.","Tsunku published a free note on July 22 detailing the 11-year gap and his personal experiences during development.","Tsunku turned down offers for a similar but different series out of loyalty to Nintendo, believing a proper sequel would eventually come.","Tsunku mentioned former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, speculating that Iwata may have been battling illness around the same time as Tsunku's own serious illness.","The game is compatible with both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, breaking the 'curse of Rhythm Heaven' pattern of new hardware coinciding with new releases."]}