The December update is now live! If you were a Kickstarter alpha backer, you can update the game via Steam, as per usual.  If you joined the beta program by backing the game through Backerkit or buying the game on itch.io, you can head over to the game's itch.io page to download the latest version (labeled "Version 4").

If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions for features you'd like to see in the game, head over to the beta community forum and let us know!  (The alpha forum will also remain open for alpha participants who would like to continue sharing their feedback there.)

Here's what's new in the December update:

Features

Dating scandals offer countless new ways for your idols to get in trouble, including blackmail. Your options for dealing with each dating scandal will vary depending on the severity of the scandal and how compromising the evidence is.

New event type: elections

Elections provide an opportunity for fans to support their favorite group member. The ballots to vote in the election are packaged with the CD for a Single release, and some fans have been known to buy multiple CDs to get extra ballots, making them a way to bring in more revenue and generate more hype. You can start planning an election if you have both a Single and a Concert in production, which will both become attached to that election. (If multiple singles are in production, you will be given an option of which single to attach the election to.)

During the attached concert, the election event provides a starting hype level that acts as a minimum hype level for the duration of that concert (hype will never drop below the starting threshold during the concert).  After the concert set list finishes, election results are announced, one by one, starting from rank #10 all the way up to rank #1.  Hearing election results can be both exciting and stressful for idols, and as each rank is announced, you'll be able to see idol reactions (which may be associated with a gain or loss of mental stamina).

Each time a rank is announced, you have the option to "swap the envelope" to fudge the election results.  Just be wary of getting caught!

Elections can be broadcast by live blog (level 1), web stream (level 2), local TV (level 3), or national TV (level 4). Unlock higher level broadcast options for future elections by completing a concert with the preceding level.  Higher level broadcasts cost more money and generate more fame points.

Elections have a 6-month cooldown before you can start the next one.

Improvements and gameplay changes

• Notification log (click the button on the bottom right to see history of your notifications)
• New idol traits added
• Singles' marketing options now don't affect fan opinions of the single, only sales
• Auditions: changed the way skill points are distributed. It is now possible to have idols that are, for example, really good at dancing but bad at everything else
• Staffer specializations (Coaches, Production staffers, Sales Managers) are indicated by tooltips:
• Production staffers do production tasks 25% faster
• Sales managers get business proposals 25% faster 
• Coaches get a 20 point bonus to how much they can train idols over the normal amount for non-coach staffers (normal training limit is 10 times the staffer's current level). e.g. a level 4 Dance Choreographer can train idols up to 40 points, while a level Dance Coach can train up to 60 points.
• You will lose some fans every day when your buzz falls below 10% of current fame level
• You can now fire staffers by paying their severance package (equal to 12 months salary). You can still fire staffers using scandal points (firing staffers for scandals does not require you to pay their severance)
• You can now fire staffers for free if you hired them less than a month ago.
• Improved distribution of single sales (prevents one demographic from hoarding all of the CDs if you have fans in other demographics)
• New hotkey: Space or Enter during story/visual novel sections to skip
• New cheat: F2 to reset special event cooldowns

Bug fixes

• No more notification spam when training an idol with the "Tenacious" trait
• Fixed an issue where accumulating a very large number of research points sometimes caused time top stop
• Removed an exploit that allowed you to scam Fujimoto by inputting a large number for a bank loan and then switching to him
• Fixed a bug release popup showed "Weekly Budget" when triggered after a show release popup
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused pushed idols to not load properly
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused staffers to get negative research points if their level was too high
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused idols to be duplicated in a single's formation when you rapidly clicked on them
• Fixed a an issue that sometimes caused a staffer to become "stuck" if they were working on a concert that got canceled

For a preview of what to expect in January and February, see the previous announcement post from earlier this month, which outlines some of the features we plan to add over the next few months.