LINE NEXT Launches ‘Super Mates,’an AI-Driven Interactive Character App

■Using AI technology, celebrities and pop stars are transformed into cartoon avatars that their fans can interact with and develop
■ Super Mates to partner with a wide range of today’s top stars, starting with the leading K-pop group aespa
SEONGNAM, South Korea – September 26, 2024 – LINE NEXT Corporation announced today that it has launched an AI-driven interactive character app called “Super Mates,” along with its first artist partnership, SM Entertainment’s popular girl group aespa.
Super Mates allows users to communicate with avatar versions of their favorite artists in English, Korean or Japanese, brought to life using AI technology. Based on LINE NEXT’s experience and know-how with avatar characters and AI technology, Super Mates focuses on developing avatars that reflect each artist's unique appearance and characteristics, creating interactive figures that users can truly relate to.

Through AI technology, users can enjoy life-like conversations with the Super Mates characters, along with options like allowing a character to start conversations or keeping a diary about their interactions with the user. In addition, users can accessorize characters with clothing or other items, and even create their own videos and images.

Kicking off Super Mates is SM Entertainment’s superstar girl group aespa. Comprised of four popular artists — Karina, Giselle, Winter, and NingNing — aespa released their first album, “Armageddon,” in May, and recently concluded an international tour, including stops across Asia and in Australia. The group also became the first non-Japanese female act to hold concerts at the Tokyo Dome for two consecutive years. Notably, the Super Mates avatars of aespa reflect the unique and bold style of the Armageddon album, offering clothing and accessories that match the album concept, as well as the ability to talk to the aespa avatars about the album.

To celebrate the launch of Super Mates, LINE NEXT will give out a variety of items and prizes to users for a limited time, including a chance to win never-before-published photos of the group and autographed CDs. Details of the event can be found on the Super Mates app and event page (https://www.supermates.io/aespa)

"LINE NEXT aims to provide an interactive service where fans can connect with their artists and create their own contents," said Youngsu Ko, CEO of LINE NEXT. “We plan to partner with various partners and IPs to provide variety of characters.”

LINE NEXT also plans to develop further functions so Super Mates can grow into an app that expands the user experience and becomes a new kind of social service.


■ About LINE NEXT Corporation

Based in Korea with offices in the United States and Japan, LINE NEXT Corporation is focused on developing global services and businesses based on AI, characters and games.