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Zynga-owned Rollic has soft-launched the officially licensed Barbie Merge Mystery mobile game on the UK App Store.
The studio’s partnership with Mattel on the game was announced earlier this year. It aimed to develop a “mass market” Barbie title set for release by the end of 2024.
The new title features merge gameplay blended with renovation mechanics, a combination seen in many puzzle games like Playrix’s Homescapes and Gardenscapes, and Trailmix’s Love & Pies.
Uncover the mystery
Players join characters Malibu, Brooklyn, Teresa and Renee as they “explore an enigmatic event that changed their lives during a slumber party” and uncover the mystery of the pink fog that has covered the Barbie world
As players restore and upgrade buildings, they’ll be introduced to new “iconic” characters from the Barbie World, progressing them further through the game’s story.
The title marks a shift in the types of games developed by Rollic, which made its name as a hypercasual games publisher.
A number of companies that specialised in the genre, including the likes of Voodoo, SayGames, Homa and Kwalee, have pivoted into other categories, including hybridcasual and casual.
According to AppMagic estimates, Rollic’s portfolio has generated approximately 2.3 billion downloads across the App Store and Google Play to date.