LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum features the popular “Tsum Tsum” series of stuffed toys, designed after popular Disney characters. Since the initial Japanese release on January 29, players have fallen in love with the simple gameplay concept of connecting 3 or more Tsums to gain points, as well as the game’s charming and adorable aesthetic featuring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Stitch. To date the app has surpassed 14 million downloads, achieving the top spot in both App Store and Google Play’s free app ranking. The influence of the app’s popularity has extended offline, with sales of Tsum Tsum stuffed toys increasing by 40%, pushing them into 2nd place in the Games, Toys, and Stationary category of Nikkei Trendy’s “First Half of 2014 Product Popularity Rankings”.

Spurred by the success in Japan, the English version of LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum was released globally in 40 countries and regions, with a focus on western markets such as the United Kingdom and the United States, and East Asian markets including Taiwan and Thailand. By offering the game on the LINE platform, which has a global total of over 1 billion downloads, the service providers hope to achieve further growth on a global scale.

The simple gameplay consists of matching and eliminating the highest possible amount of sets of 3 or more of the same Tsum within a 1 minute time limit. The final score is determined by the final amount of eliminated Tsums. Eliminating 5 or more Tsums gives the player Coins that can be used to purchase items and eliminating 7 or more grants the “Magical Bubble” item, which can be used to eliminate multiple Tsums at once.

Players can elect from 1 of 29 different characters to be their “My Tsum”, powering their character up by eliminating other Tsums of the same type and gaining special abilities such as the ability to stop time or eliminate all the Tsums at the center of the screen at once.

By linking the app with LINE, adult players can compete with their friends in the rankings or send and receive Hearts, which are required to play the game.