SM-Kakao Games to launch mobile game in H2

SM Entertainment and Kakao Games Corp. signed a partnership at SM Entertainment’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday to create a mobile game.

The partnership follows South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp.'s acquisition of SM Entertainment in March last year.

The K-pop label will use its artist IP to create a mobile game tentatively titled “SM Game Station” to be launched globally in the second half of this year, according to SM.

Kakao Games Corp., the gaming unit of Kakao Corp., is one of the major game developers in Korea known for several popular mobile games including “Odin: Valhalla Rising” and “Uma Musume Pretty Derby.”

Kakao Games Corp. will be in charge of the global publishing and service of “SM Game Station,” and Metabora, the Web3 gaming initiative affiliate of Kakao Games, will be in charge of the game development.

With SM’s artist IP, the game will offer users the experience of becoming the manager of the label’s artists.

Users will manage the artists’ schedules, promote new albums and projects, collect photo cards and nurture new artists inside the game.

“We are happy to offer diverse content for our K-pop fans to enjoy. We will continue to make efforts to collaborate with other units of Kakao Corp. to create diverse content,” said the co-CEO of SM Entertainment Jang Cheol-hyuk in a press release.

“We are planning to provide a new entertainment experience in the global digital content market by combining our service and development capability with SM Entertainment’s strong content power,” said Han Sang-woo, the CEO of Kakao Games Corp.