Shifting away from some of the more traditional fantasy games (read: fantasy sports) for a moment, there is a small burgeoning niche market around entertainment games, and fantasy American Idol is one of the most popular ones to play. Fantasy Pop has just released its Unofficial Fantasy American Idol game. With Simon Cowell departing after this season, this may be your last chance to prove that you know a lot more about music than Simon does.

Each week, fantasy players rank who they think is most likely to be the next American Idol, which conversely indicates who they think is most likely to be voted off the show. The longer a player’s high picks last, the better that person’s team does. Currently, you can create your own private league and play with your American Idol loving friends.

The site design is pretty bare and generic, which is intentional right now, according to creator Rudy Menendez. He said he is spending much more time on usability and gameplay right now, and will focus more on the aesthetics later. Menendez previously was the Chief Technology Officer at Fanball, so he knows a little bit (or a lot) about developing fantasy games. Also involved in the development of the game is former Fanball founder Paul Charchian, which just adds to my previous article about Charch Quietly Building a Fantasy Empire.

Go, play now. Otherwise, you will be looking like a fool with his pants on the ground.