Smilegate showcases 'Chaos Zero Nightmare,' 'Miresi' at Anime Expo 2026

Smilegate’s "Miresi: Invisible Future" booth at Anime Expo 2026. Courtesy of Smilegate

Korean video game developer and publisher Smilegate said Friday it has officially opened booths for two of its mobile games, "Chaos Zero Nightmare" (CZN) and "Miresi: Invisible Future" (Miresi), at Anime Expo 2026, North America's largest anime and pop culture convention, which opened Thursday in Los Angeles and runs through Sunday.

Miresi, an upcoming collectible role-playing game developed by Control9, is being showcased at a booth in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The booth includes a hands-on demo zone where visitors can try the game, a four-sided LED experience area and a 360-degree photo zone.

The Miresi stage will host daily events.

On Saturday morning, Control9 CEO and Creative Director Kwon Se-woong, Production Director Cho Sun-gu and Art Director Kim "Hyulla" Hyung-sup will hold a Dev Talk to share the game's development philosophy and history.

Illustrators REIQ, Karory and Ruca will also appear over three days for live drawing shows, sketching the game's characters in their own styles.

REIQ is also scheduled to join a separate panel session Saturday evening alongside Kim for a joint drawing presentation. Visitors who take part in booth activities can receive limited-edition Miresi merchandise, including the game's signature happi coat, a traditional Japanese-style short jacket.

"Chaos Zero Nightmare," which Smilegate said has built a strong following in North America, has a booth in the lobby of the South Hall. The booth is designed around the game's setting — the SS Nightmare and the Chaos battlefield — to give an immersive feel. On-site events let visitors collect physical versions of the cards used in the game's core battle system, with those who collect a full set entered into a raffle for a 24-karat gold card.

As part of CZN's first offline event in North America, developers, including Game Director Kim Hyung-suk and Art Director So Su-been, will meet fans for photo sessions and autograph signings. During a panel Friday evening, Kim, So and Art Director Ryu Han-kyung will discuss the present and future of 2D animated games and share behind-the-scenes stories from CZN's development.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.