How Geenius Markets Their First Full Album Through Games

Photo: Steam

With new music announced all the time, it can be hard to make an upcoming comeback stand out. Companies of all sizes are often not just dropping teaser photos and videos anymore. Playable web-browser games have been popping up more frequently as ways to keep K-Pop fans invested. Examples include KiiiKiii releasing a variety of web-based games for their comebacks, such as a dress-up activity before dropping their debut EP; NMIXX launching their version of the popular Watermelon Game before the release of Blue Valentine; and PURPLE K!SS launching a rhythm game before releasing their I Miss My… single album. Geenius has taken this idea a step further by coming out with multiple games based on their new album’s songs. 

What’s Known About The Album

Geenius, a group who debuted on January 5, 2024, started teasing their first full album Love don’t change back in December 2025. Love don’t change will mark Yeyoung, Sion, Mika, Zoe, and Andamiro’s first comeback since their debut. The ten-track album will include tracks produced by the members Yeyoung, Zoe, and Sion. The group has yet to confirm a set release date for Love don’t change, but Geenius has previewed three of the songs—“I.L.Y,” “Cupid-Dough,” and “Deja-vu”—through small computer games.  

“I.L.Y” Interactive Music Video

On January 5, Geenius uploaded five versions of interactive music videos for “I.L.Y,” a song created by Yeyoung. The videos on YouTube feature each individual member whereas the true interactive elements happen in a game on itch.io, an online marketplace “with a focus on independent video games.” This simple game displays the music video and five buttons, which swap between members’s perspectives when clicked. Though not the most exciting, it serves as a small teaser before the subsequent games that levelled up in scale. 

Geenius : Cupid Dough

Geenius uploaded their next game, Geenius : Cupid Dough, on Steam, a PC-based gaming platform. On February 2, the group launched this free-to-play application that doubles as an auto-runner game and a music creation game. The game features sprites of the members running across the screen to collect glowing orbs, which the player can exchange for gold. “Cupid-Dough,” also made by Yeyoung, acts as the game’s soundtrack, and players can swap between members to see the song adjust to the members’ vocals. 

After the running segment, players can use the collected gold to buy instruments. This will unlock the ability to play around and rearrange the song’s instrumental. Geenius : Cupid Dough is also available on itch.io without the instrumental-tweaking section. The customizable nature of Geenius : Cupid Dough surprisingly gives it some depth and the game is fun to play in small breaks. South Korean developer Sinkhole Studio, consisting of a three-person team, is behind the “first-ever K-Pop game on Steam.”

DEJA-VU

On March 16, Geenius released another itch.io game that combines elements of the interactive “I.L.Y” music video and Geenius : Cupid Dough. Featuring “Deja-vu” made by Zoe, this game showcases a pixelated bunny, a heart, a keyboard, a guitar, a bass drum, a snare drum, and a hi-hat on a raft floating in the ocean. Clicking on any of these sprites will move them in and out of the water, which will add or remove elements from the song. At the end of the song snippet, the game gives the chance to save the mixed sample to the player’s computer. 

While the release date of Geenius’s Love don’t change remains uncertain, the gradual release of these themed games has marketed the comeback creatively. Perhaps more games will come out to match the other seven songs on the album. Until then, the “I.L.Y” interactive music video, Geenius : Cupid Dough, and DEJA-VU provide simple and quick ways to pass the time.