SMG Studio

SMG Studio is an Australian video game developer headquartered in Sydney. The studio operates across downloadable and mobile game development, with a catalogue spanning arcade-style mobile games, cooperative puzzle experiences, licensed or externally associated projects, and console and PC releases. Its public profile is particularly associated with accessible games built around simple rules, short play sessions, local or online multiplayer, and highly replayable challenge structures. The studio was established in 2013 as a games-focused unit of Soap Creative, an Australian digital creative agency founded in 2002. Its formation placed game development within a broader digital-production environment rather than beginning as an entirely independent game company. In the same year, SMG Studio was one of ten companies selected for support through Screen Australia's Games Enterprise funding initiative, providing early institutional backing for its development activities. SMG Studio's first release was Over The Top Tower Defence, which launched for mobile devices on 24 May 2014. The studio then developed the One More series, beginning with One More Line in 2014 and continuing with One More Dash, One More Jump, One More Bounce, and Super One More Jump. These games established a recognizable design direction centered on timing, reflexes, compact levels, and repeat attempts. Thumb Drift further extended the studio's mobile-oriented arcade work in 2016. In February 2015, SMG Studio was acquired by Dentsu, the multinational advertising and digital-marketing group. The transaction connected the studio to a larger international corporate network while allowing SMG Studio to remain identified as a game-development label. The studio subsequently broadened its output beyond mobile arcade games. Its notable releases include the cooperative puzzle game Death Squared in 2017, the space-themed adventure No Way Home in 2020, the cooperative moving and logistics game Moving Out in 2020, the physics-based action game SP!NG in 2021, and Moving Out 2 in 2023. Death Squared became one of the studio's best-known original properties. Its design emphasizes cooperation, spatial reasoning, communication, and the consequences of player coordination, making it suitable for both local and online multiplayer contexts. Moving Out similarly uses cooperative play as its central structure, presenting household relocation as a physics-driven party-game activity. The game helped establish SMG Studio as a developer of approachable multiplayer titles with broad platform appeal. The studio's listed catalogue also includes Risk: Global Domination, a digital adaptation associated with the Risk board-game property, and Lego Party, listed as a 2025 release. Taken together, the catalogue shows a shift from early mobile experimentation toward a wider portfolio of original, licensed, cooperative, and cross-platform projects. Public reference material does not provide a detailed account of SMG Studio's current staffing, leadership, revenue, or platform-by-platform business performance. Its best-documented identity remains that of a Sydney-based Australian developer operating under the Dentsu group and known internationally for mobile games and cooperative titles.

SMG Studio was created in 2013 as the game-development unit of Soap Creative, an Australian digital creative agency established in 2002. The studio's early formation gave it access to an existing creative and digital-production environment while allowing it to pursue games as a distinct business activity. In its founding year, SMG Studio was selected as one of ten companies to receive support through Screen Australia's Games Enterprise program, an early indication of public-sector recognition for its development work. The studio's first documented release was Over The Top Tower Defence, launched for mobile devices on 24 May 2014. SMG Studio subsequently developed a sequence of compact mobile games built around reflexes, timing, and repeated attempts. One More Line appeared in 2014, followed by One More Dash in 2015, One More Jump and One More Bounce in 2016, and Super One More Jump in 2018. Thumb Drift, also released in 2016, continued the studio's emphasis on quick, accessible arcade play. A major corporate turning point came in February 2015, when Dentsu acquired SMG Studio. Dentsu is a multinational group associated with advertising, marketing, and digital services. The acquisition placed the developer within a much larger corporate structure, but public descriptions continued to identify SMG Studio as a Sydney-based game studio. The available reference material does not describe the purchase price, transaction terms, or subsequent changes to management. SMG Studio later expanded from predominantly mobile-oriented arcade work into a broader set of original and associated game properties. Death Squared, released in 2017, presented cooperative puzzle gameplay in which players must coordinate movements and solve spatial challenges. The title became one of the studio's most recognizable games and helped define its reputation for multiplayer experiences that are easy to understand but demanding to master. The studio's later catalogue included the digital version of Risk: Global Domination, the space adventure No Way Home, Moving Out, and SP!NG. Moving Out, released in 2020, transformed the routine task of moving household possessions into a physics-based cooperative party game. The title broadened SMG Studio's profile beyond mobile arcade games and demonstrated its interest in social play, physical comedy, and accessible multiplayer design. Moving Out 2 followed in 2023, extending that property with a new entry rather than leaving the original as a standalone release. The catalogue identified in public reference material also includes Lego Party, listed as a 2025 release. This suggests continued activity in party-oriented and broadly accessible game development, although the supplied sources do not provide detailed information about its production, launch platforms, commercial performance, or reception. Overall, SMG Studio's documented history is one of progression from a creative-agency games unit to a Dentsu-owned developer with an international catalogue spanning mobile, PC, console, cooperative, puzzle, arcade, and party games. Information about current executives, workforce size, revenue, and present operating structure is not established by the available sources.

• 2023

  Moving Out 2 released

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  SMG Studio releases the second listed entry in the Moving Out series.

• 2020

  Moving Out released

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  Moving Out introduces the studio's cooperative, physics-driven moving-game property.

• 2017

  Death Squared released

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  SMG Studio releases Death Squared, a cooperative puzzle game that becomes one of its best-known titles.

• 2015

  Acquisition by Dentsu

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  Dentsu acquires SMG Studio in February 2015.

• 2014

  First release

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  Over The Top Tower Defence launches for mobile devices on 24 May 2014.

• 2013

  SMG Studio is established

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  SMG Studio is established as a gaming unit of Soap Creative, an Australian digital creative agency.

• 2013

  Games Enterprise funding

  [1]SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org

  The studio is named as one of ten companies receiving support through Screen Australia's Games Enterprise initiative.

An Australian game-development studio focused on accessible, replayable mobile and cross-platform games, especially cooperative puzzle, party, arcade, and physics-driven experiences.

• Mobile tower-defense game · 2014

  Over The Top Tower Defence

  SMG Studio's first documented release. The game launched for mobile devices on 24 May 2014 and represents the studio's early work in mobile game development.

• Mobile arcade and reflex games · 2014

  One More series

  A group of timing- and reflex-focused games including One More Line, One More Dash, One More Jump, One More Bounce, and Super One More Jump. The series is built around short sessions, repeated attempts, and progressively demanding control challenges.

• Mobile arcade racing game · 2016

  Thumb Drift

  A mobile arcade title from SMG Studio's early catalogue, centered on drifting and quick-touch control. It continued the studio's focus on accessible mechanics and replayable challenge.

• Cooperative puzzle game · 2017

  Death Squared

  A cooperative puzzle game in which players coordinate movement and solve spatial challenges. Its design emphasizes communication, teamwork, and the consequences of poorly synchronized actions, making it suitable for local and multiplayer play.

• Digital strategy board game · 2015

  Risk: Global Domination

  A digital game associated with the Risk property and listed among SMG Studio's products. The supplied reference does not provide further detail about the studio's specific development or publishing role.

• Space adventure game · 2020

  No Way Home

  A space-themed game released in 2020 and included in SMG Studio's catalogue. The available source identifies the title but does not provide a detailed description of its mechanics or platforms.

• Cooperative physics-based party game · 2020

  Moving Out

  A cooperative game that turns household relocation into a physics-driven party activity. Players work together to move furniture and other objects, combining accessible controls with chaotic physical interactions.

• Arcade action game · 2021

  SP!NG

  A 2021 release that extends SMG Studio's work in compact, reflex-oriented game experiences. Detailed mechanics and platform information are not established in the supplied reference.

• Cooperative physics-based party game · 2023

  Moving Out 2

  A later entry in the Moving Out series, continuing the franchise's cooperative moving and physics-based party-game format.

• Party game · 2025

  Lego Party

  A party-game title listed in SMG Studio's catalogue for 2025. The supplied source does not provide further information about its gameplay, platforms, launch circumstances, or commercial results.

• 2015

  Dentsu acquisitionM&A

  Background

  SMG Studio had developed from Soap Creative's games unit into a distinct game-development studio. Dentsu subsequently acquired the company in February 2015.

  Action taken

  Dentsu purchased SMG Studio and brought it into its multinational digital-marketing group.

  Aftermath

  The studio continued to be identified as a Sydney-based developer and expanded its catalogue across mobile, cooperative, console, and PC-oriented projects. The supplied reference does not state the purchase price or detail organizational changes.

  Source

1. 1SMG Studioen.wikipedia.org