Sanrio Digital and GOGAME, an Indonesian online games publisher, today announced a partnership to launch Hello Kitty Online and SanrioTown in Indonesia.Hello Kitty Online is the eagerly anticipated official massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) of the Hello Kitty universe.
SanrioTown is a Sanrio-themed portal and social networking site integrated with Hello Kitty Online. GOGAME will publish and operate Indonesian versions of Hello Kitty Online and SanrioTown.
“Sanrio Digital is privileged to be collaborating with GOGAME to publish Hello Kitty Online in Indonesia. With a young, growing, and dynamic Internet population, Indonesia is an exciting prospect and a relevant market for the convergence of online gaming and social networking being spearheaded by Hello Kitty Online. We are confident that our partnership will be a fruitful one,” said Yat Siu, CEO of Sanrio Digital.
GOGAME CEO Patrick Setiawan commented: “GOGAME’s partnership with Sanrio Digital to launch SanrioTown and Hello Kitty Online in Indonesia will bring a breath of fresh air to the online games industry in the territory. As the first MMOG based on Sanrio intellectual property and the first to offer portal-game integration, Hello Kitty Online will attract MMOG players and Hello Kitty fans throughout Indonesia, and help confirm GOGAME as a major player in the Indonesian gaming industry.”
Hello Kitty Online is the official MMORPG based on the popular Sanrio characters. The game, currently in its beta stage, will launch in various territories throughout 2009, using a free-to-play model with optional premium upgrades. Players will explore and experience magnificent adventures in the magical and cute world of Sanrio Land as they interact with other players and more than a hundred Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Cinnamoroll, and many others.
Hello Kitty Online is one of few MMORPG titles targeting a female gaming audience. Aside from redefining traditional MMO gaming with the inclusion of integrated social media services provided by SanrioTown, Hello Kitty Online makes a connection between the virtual world and real charity events. In a recent beta, the event “Food for Friends” invited players to craft virtual items to raise money for UNICEF and the Asian Youth Orchestra. A similar event named “Helping Hearts” asked players to craft virtual items that Sanrio Digital then converted into hundreds of real gifts for the children of the Po Leung Kuk residential child care unit.
About Hello Kitty Online
Hello Kitty Online, developed by Sanrio Digital, is the official massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) of Hello Kitty and friends, and the first MMORPG to integrate social networking web services into the game experience. In addition to standard features such as customizable avatars, guilds, skill systems, and player economy, Hello Kitty Online offers a social networking platform including blogs, video sharing, and email services. For more information please visit www.hellokittyonline.com.