Kakao Games Corp., the gaming unit of South Korean platform giant Kakao Corp., announced on Tuesday that it signed? an intellectual property (IP) rights agreement with SM Entertainment Co. to develop mobile games featuring the entertainment agency‘s idol groups.

Under the agreement, Kakao Games unveiled “SM Game Station” (tentative name), a digital collection mobile game featuring SM Entertainment’s idol artists, for the first time on the same day.

SM Game Station allows users to become managers of K-pop groups and conduct schedule activities reinterpreted as mini-games while collecting digital photo cards.

The photo cards feature the artists‘ actual appearances and activities, and users can customize the cards with various ’parts‘ that reflect each member’s personality.

There are also various events celebrating the artists‘ birthdays, debut anniversaries, and other milestones, as well as content linked to their actual activities.

Kakao Games’ game and blockchain subsidiary, METABORA, will be responsible for game development, while SM Entertainment will provide the IP for its groups.

Kakao Games aims to launch SM Game Station in the global market in the second half of 2024.

“We plan to provide new entertainment experiences in the global digital content market by combining our service and development capabilities with SM Entertainment‘s strong content power,” Kakao Games Chief Executive Officer Han Sang-woo said.

“We are pleased to offer our fans a variety of content consumption opportunities,” SM Entertainment CEO Jang Cheol-hyuk added. ”We will continue to explore more content mixes within Kakao Group moving forward.“

In a separate development, Kakaopay Corp. announced on Tuesday that it will host a promotion whereby users making payments with KakaoPay at partner merchants will have the chance to win over 200 tickets for the 17th UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2024) via a draw.

Under the promotion, KakaoPay users who make purchases of $1 or more at Lotte Duty-Free stores, receive their products by May 6th, 2024, and participate in the draw until May 30th, will be eligible to win tickets to the Euro 2024 final, semi-finals, quarter-finals, or round of 16 matches.

Asiana Airlines Inc. will give away one business round-trip ticket and one ticket to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals and round of eight matches to selected customers who purchase a ticket to Europe departing from Incheon International Aiport through July 2024 via Kakao Pay. The Asiana Airlines promotion will run until April 19th, and customers who pay for European tour products via Kakao Pay on Myrealtrip through April 30th, 2024, will receive a 6 percent discount and will be automatically entered into a draw for tickets to the Euro 2024 final, semi-finals, and quarter-finals. During the same period, KakaoPay users who make payments on Lotte ON and CJ ON Style will also be entered into a draw for tickets to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and round of 16 matches.

By Pulse

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