Street Fighter x Sanrio: a merchandising mash-up made in otaku heaven
A Kitty-chan hadouken? Surely that's the stuff of fan fiction dreams, except it's not. In a move that's certain to confound core gamers, Mad Catz has commissioned a (somewhat unholy) merchandising mash-up of two beloved Japanese franchises, Street Fighter x Sanrio, to be splashed across its Arcade Fightstick Pro (for Xbox 360 and PS3) and iPhone 5 case covers -- sold for $160 and $35, respectively. And the results? Well, they're adorably alarming. Cramming the totemo kawaii pantheon of critters from Sanrio's line into the personas from Capcom's fighter, gamers with special interests can soak in the send-ups that see Badtz-Maru outfitted as the infamous Ryu, Hello Kitty sporting Chun-Li's buns and Pochacco as the blonde-maned Ken, just to name a few. No doubt, it takes a special kind of person to appreciate a crossover of the most intrusive childhood memory kind. But we're willing to bet there are plenty of you somewhere out there.
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December 11, 2012 08:35 AM Eastern Time
Mad Catz® Announces New Range of Street Fighter® X Sanrio® Products and Accessories
New Range Includes Street Fighter® X Sanrio FightStick™ PRO, Timed To Coincide With Street Fighter® 25th Anniversary Celebration
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today a new range of Street Fighter® X Sanrio products and accessories. Available in limited quantities throughout North America, the new range is expected to be available this month, timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary celebration of the legendary Street Fighter® video game franchise from Capcom.
Bringing together two beloved franchises for the very first time, the new range of products feature Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty® depicted as classic Street Fighter characters like Ryu and Chun Li, set against authentic Street Fighter backdrops.
"We're pleased to celebrate the Street Fighter 25th anniversary with the new range of Street Fighter X Sanrio products which we believe will prove a fitting tribute to the occasion," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "We're particularly pleased that the range includes both gaming hardware and lifestyle accessories, demonstrating our ability to reach new consumer segments with quality licensed product."
The range includes the Street Fighter X Sanrio FightStick PRO, a tournament edition fighting game controller for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, as well as a range of themed smartphone and tablet cases.
Additional information available at: http://www.madcatz.com/products/street-fighter-x-sanrio/
