Collaboration Aims to Leverage K-pop Label's Artist IP for Global Mobile Gaming Audience

Courtesy of SM Entertainment

▲ Co-CEO of SM Entertainment Jang Cheol-hyuk (left) and CEO of Kakao Games Corp. Hang Sang-woo / Courtesy of SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment and Kakao Games Corp. announced a partnership at SM Entertainment’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday to develop a mobile game. The collaboration follows Kakao Corp.'s acquisition of SM Entertainment in March last year.

The game, tentatively titled “SM Game Station,” will utilize SM Entertainment's artist intellectual property and is set to launch globally in the second half of this year. Kakao Games Corp., renowned for popular mobile games such as “Odin: Valhalla Rising” and “Uma Musume Pretty Derby,” will handle the global publishing and service of the game, with Metabora, a Web3 gaming initiative affiliate of Kakao Games, leading the game development.

Designed to offer users the experience of managing artists from SM Entertainment, the game will enable players to schedule activities, promote albums and projects, collect photo cards, and nurture new artists within the virtual realm.

In a press release, co-CEO of SM Entertainment Jang Cheol-hyuk expressed enthusiasm for providing diverse content for K-pop fans and emphasized continued collaboration with Kakao Corp. to create varied content. Han Sang-woo, CEO of Kakao Games Corp., outlined plans to offer a new entertainment experience in the global digital content market by combining the company's service and development capabilities with SM Entertainment’s robust content power.

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Kang In sig, insig6622@naver.com