[Digital Today reporter Hojeong Lee] KakaoGames said on Tuesday it has officially launched 'SMiniz', a new title based on SM Entertainment's intellectual property (IP), in global markets.

SMiniz is a mobile casual game in which small characters (Miniz) resembling SM artists appear and players solve match-3 puzzles with their favourite character. The full release supports 5 languages: Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese in traditional and simplified versions.

KakaoGames ran a global closed beta test (CBT) in December and won a positive response based on what it called the fun of an easy-to-access puzzle game. It cited a range of SM IP-based content, including photocards reflecting fandom culture, 'Photo Deco' and 'My Room' features for personal customisation, and costumes that capture concepts from artists' activities.

KakaoGames has previously built anticipation through a roulette prize event that gave away photocard sets and online and offline promotions linked to SMTown Fukuoka concerts.

After the launch, it will hold an in-game event where users can obtain special artist photocards that are not 공개 externally. It will also run an offline-linked event through March 10, giving away SMiniz goods at SM's Kwangya Store to users who download the game and complete simple missions.