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Hello Kitty Online donates $6,000 to Japanese earthquake relief fund
It's been inspiring to see how many people have stepped up following the tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami a month ago, including gamers and studios. Sanrio Digital rallied Hello Kitty Online players to the cause with its aptly named Japan Earthquake Aid project. During a recent in-game event, players were encouraged to gather together special items and hand them in to a GM. Depending on the amount of items accrued over the event, Sanrio Digital promised to donate a variable amount of money to Project KIBOW, which helps fund Japan's Civic Force, an organization that hands out supplies and food to those still struggling with this crisis. Sanrio announced today that due to the players' efforts, the company is handing in a check for $6,041 on behalf of Hello Kitty Online. Helpful players who passed a certain item donation threshold received a spiffy in-game Tokyo outfit as a thank-you from the company.
Hello Kitty Online meets Manhattan
New York City is, like, totally bummed out. Intrepid explorers in Hello Kitty Online recently found the city to be deserted due to an unknown cause -- Cloverfield monster? Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man? Sex and the City 3 filming downtown? Nobody knows! With its upcoming update, "Mysteries of New York," HKO players will dig deeper into this investigation while cheering up the emerging inhabitants. Yup, that's right: Cheering them up. After all, this is Hello Kitty Online, a game that practically exudes pastel cheer from every pore. With the free January 24th update, players will engage in the return of the "Cheer System" which uses a variety of sparklers to lift the spirit of grouchy residents. Because nothing empowers one's attitude like a face-full of sizzling fireworks! Mysteries of New York will contain a hefty assortment of other goodies as well, including costume sets, a sizable invasion of penguins, new pets and bosses, and a capsule machine that gives you the chance to win groovy prizes. You can check out all of the details of this update at Hello Kitty Online.
Celebrate Hello Kitty's birthday in Hello Kitty Online
Hello Kitty is 36 years old, which should be the sort of thing that makes everyone blink once or twice in surprise. With that sort of pedigree, you'd be surprised not to see a celebration going on -- especially in Hello Kitty Online. Sure enough, there's a huge birthday bash going on right now for players of the game, and participation in the event will have some positive effects in the real world. Sanrio is giving money to charity, based in part upon how many people take part in the birthday festivities. Players taking part will be sent around the world with sparklers to help cheer up monsters, so that everyone can enjoy the birthday celebration. There's also a small line for upgrading and improving sparklers for maximum effectiveness, with upgrades available in the item shop as a shortcut for participants. A full event guide has been posted, and it promises a special in-game event on November 15th -- which should be an excellent motivator for Hello Kitty Online players to log in and ring in another cat-filled year. %Gallery-106551%
MMO Family: A parent's look at Hello Kitty Online
MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family, from tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate online games for everyone in the family. Hello Kitty Online is the first of our Parents Guide selections that's aimed squarely at teens and young adults rather than the kiddie set. Say what? We were surprised, too -- but given the mind-bogglingly persistent popularity of Hello Kitty among grownups with more discerning taste (and expansive wallets), it stands to reason that developer Sanrio would want HKO to reach as broad an audience as possible. What HKO brings to the keyboard, then, is less a kiddie game than a crafting-oriented, sunshiny, Hello-Kitty-themed version of an MMO. Sure, it's 2-D. Sure, it's free-to-play. But despite the precious proliferation of pink, you'll find gameplay that's more in line with traditional, fully developed MMOs -- a purrfectly friendly MMO choice for your teen daughter.
Hello Kitty Online launches, opens fourth seal of the Apocalypse
And lo, from the throne of four and twenty seats, with four and twenty elders sitting and clothed in white rainments and crowns of gold, lightnings and thunderings and voices proceeded. Seven lamps of fire burned, and four beings full of eyes appeared in front and behind. And the first being was like a frog, and the second being like a nymph, and the third being had the face of a man, and the fourth being was like a yawning penguin. And from the mouth of the third being, like a cat, came these words: "Hello Kitty Online has officially launched in North America and Europe. Fans both young and old can share their love of Hello Kitty, either through the free downloadable client or the Premium Edition retail version, which is available at retailers for $19.99 and contains $15 in Sanrio Cash Points, a game DVD and manual, and one of four exclusive and cute virtual pets." And I looked, and beheld the pale cat, and the name that sat on her was Hello Kitty. And Hell followed with them.
HK-Day arrives: Hello Kitty Online launches in NA and Europe
You've felt it -- the tingle of anticipation, the twitch of desire, the color of pink. And now, after years of waiting, it's finally here: Hello Kitty Online has officially launched across North American and Europe. While the game's been widely available for some time now, Sanrio Digital considers today to be the first of many glorious days of cats and their peppy greetings. It's a double celebration of sorts, considering that this is Sanrio's 50th anniversary. While you and your family can download Hello Kitty Online for free, Sanrio hopes that you'll go the extra distance and head out to a retailer to pick up the premium edition of this kid-friendly MMO. Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition includes a grab-bag of treats, such as $15 in Sanrio points for item shop purchases, an exclusive pet, the game manual, and postcards. The MMO is tied in with SanrioTown, the company's official Hello Kitty social network, which provides fans with tools to share their love of this world. Obviously, Sanrio is hoping that the worldwide Hello Kitty phenomenon will propel this F2P title to success. You can check out HKO for yourself at the official site.
Rise and Shiny recap: Hello Kitty Online
Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Saturday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau at massively dot com. This week I asked my readers to man (or woman) up and download Hello Kitty Online by Sanrio Digital. I'm a firm believer in the old saying "Looks can be deceiving" and have tried to keep that in mind as I look for games. After all, what is the difference between fluffy pink and white bunnies and giant robots that throw hissy fits? In fact, if I were to ask my readers what makes up the difference between a game like Hello Kitty Online and a game like Lord of the Rings Online, they might only shrug and say "C'mon, Beau, you can see the difference." Remember, though, that we can still pull emotions out of cartoon characters just like we can out of more realistic ones, and it has been shown that many moviegoers actually feel more connected to stylized characters over super-realistic representations. I wonder if Hello Kitty Online can inspire the same strong emotions that a hardcore raider feels?
Hello Kitty Online Food for Friends 2 event a success
With the recent devastation in Haiti, we've seen a host of different gaming initiatives to help out. The folks at Sanrio Digital in connection with Aeria Games ran their own event, called Food for Friends 2. The idea was that players could donate any type of in-game items to Aeria, and Aeria would donate to the Haiti relief efforts on behalf of the Hello Kitty Online community. Well, the results are in, and the Hello Kitty Online players on Aeria servers donated 534,358 items to the cause. While Aeria has not currently released their total donations as yet, the numbers are in from the Sanrio Digital side of things. Apparently the Sanrio Digital crowd managed to get 1,248,257 donated crafted items, and in turn Sanrio donated US $18,038.30 to Doctors Without Borders for the Haiti relief efforts. Now that's a friendship gift we can get behind.
Hello Kitty Online's Food for Friends 2 event provides Haiti disaster relief
One of the things that's different about Hello Kitty Online, beyond the pink hearts and stars motif, is that the game ties in with some great charitable causes. Now Sanrio Digital has announced the "Food for Friends 2" guild competition, an event that lets guilds compete for Loyalty Point prizes for use in the Hello Kitty Online item mall while helping people in the real world. Players from select regions (North America, Europe, Singapore, Malaysia) who participate in Food for Friends 2 will generate real money donations (from event sponsors) through their gameplay that will help disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Food for Friends 2 runs from January 21-30 and getting involved is very simple. Players can log in and head on over to Hello Kitty Online's version of London to speak with an NPC named Cinnamaroll. He's collecting crafted consumable items for the needy. The more people from your guild who donate these items, the higher your guild's point standings increase.
Hello Kitty Online joins the Toys for Tots charity drive
Hello Kitty and Toys for Tots, two names that are pretty recognizable at first glance. Well, the two are teaming up for the holiday season, as Aeria Games is using Hello Kitty Online as a platform to drive charitable contributions in a pretty unique way. Instead of offering a buyable pet and giving the proceeds to Toys for Tots, HKO players will get to search the grand virtual lands of Sanrio for Short Sticks, Webley Webs, Shells, and Bramble's Comfort. Each set of items collected will go to creating a special in-game Crab Plush Toy for you and will add one more donation to Aeria's real life toy drive. That's right: An in-game quest with a real life reward of helping get toys to children for the holidays. That's one quest that you can't drop from your log. GMs will be picking up item sets on December 14th, 15th, and 16th. For the full information on what needs to be collected to make a set, check out the event page on HKO's main website. Don't miss out on this great chance to help children in need!
Hello Kitty officially middle-aged, celebrates in Hello Kitty Online
She may have thrown out her back last week raking up hearts and stars in her back yard, but that's not going to stop Hello Kitty from celebrating her 35th birthday in Hello Kitty Online. Masters of all things cute and cuddly Sanrio Digital announced details of the virtual birthday party commemorating Hello Kitty's middle age milestone. Although Hello Kitty was born on the first of November, the festivities are already underway in Hello Kitty Online and will continue through the cultural icon's actual birthday. HKO players can earn tokens by completing birthday quests and playing mini-games. Those tokens can be exchanged for limited edition birthday items in-game. Any players who unlock at least four of the limited edition items gain access to a November 1st birthday bash held in (HKO virtual) London. Those festivities aren't just for the players who rack up the most virtual swag, as birthday celebrations will also be held in game locales like Florapolis and Paris.
Hello Kitty Online heading into closed beta
Are you ready to grab your pink scepter and do battle with marshmallowy beasts in the Flower Kingdom? If you're one of the people who have been waiting for Hello Kitty Online to hit the western market, then you'll be glad of this news. We heard a few days ago that Aeria Games is finally taking Hello Kitty Online into closed beta, ending the months of wondering after their initial announcement and then nothing. For those of you who haven't had the chance to try out HKO in other localizations, this incredibly pink MMO offers mini-games, an open-ended world with guilds, player housing, player gardens and even typical MMO quests. Essentially, imagine if Sanrio were given free reign to decorate the world; there's kawaii vivid colors everywhere and very cheery adventures to be had. So, if you're a casual Sanrio fan who wants to have some cave-the-back-of-your-head-in sweet F2P MMO fun, head over to the (admittedly very basic) Hello Kitty Online Aeria site and get signed up for the closed beta!
Hello Kitty Online paints Beijing in pink and white as game's newest city
The team at SanrioDigital and Typhoon Games has lovingly re-created the city of Beijing as you've never seen it before -- through the pink-lensed glasses of Hello Kitty, heavy on the star motif. Well, more stars than the real Beijing, in any case. They've even put some of Beijing's landmarks into Hello Kitty Online and have posted screenshots of the HKO version of the city, with a brief introduction. They write on the Sanriotown blog: "To start things off, we'd like to showcase the new, never-before-seen city that's been added to the game: Beijing! In it you'll see some narrow streets, red lanterns, unique buildings, and walls surrounding the heart of the city." Some of the places they've included are the Bubble Dome and the Forbidden Museum. Sanriotown also adds that Hello Kitty Online will have '14 new adventure maps, 8 of which make up Beijing's surroundings.' You can check out the screenshots in the Sanriotown blog announcement.
GDC09: MMMeowRPG: Hello Kitty Online coming to US
Do you like MMOs, but hate all the wizardy fantasy half-orc junk? Do you wish for something a bit more ... astoundingly, face-meltingly cute in which to meet virtual friends? Sanrio Digital and Aeria Games have just announced that they're launching Hello Kitty Online in North America. Aeria will operate the game, and Sanrio will run the SanrioTown online portal.The game, which was so great it caused WoW Insider to temporarily change its focus, is a free-to-play MMO that emphasizes crafting and resource gathering over combat -- but does include combat! Players don't directly control Sanrio characters, but rather make human avatars that can interact with Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi and other Sanrio favorites.
Ex-Turbine exec to joins forces with Hello Kitty Online
Sanrio Digital has recently announced a new vice president of Publishing and Business Development for their Hello Kitty Online MMO project. Robert Ferrari is joining the HKO team from Turbine, where he previously worked towards the success of such games as Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online and Asheron's Call."I am pleased to welcome Robert to Sanrio Digital," said Yat Siu, chief executive officer of Sanrio Digital. "We are excited to secure such a well-respected and experienced industry professional on our team. Robert's established background and reputation in MMOs and social gaming make him the ideal driver for our publishing and business development efforts across the Americas, Europe and other markets. I am certain he will contribute greatly to our global strategy and success."
Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta announced
Collector's Editions, in-game exclusives, and headstarts aren't limited to hotly-anticipated MMOs in the fantasy genre. More casual MMOs are now offering additional incentives and benefits to gamers who are devoted to their given IP. A case-in-point is Hello Kitty Online and their newly-announced Founder's offer. The Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta will allow those selected to play the game ahead of launch while participating in special in-game events. Here's how to become a Founder in two easy steps:1. Sign up for a SanrioTown.com account.2. Using your SanrioTown account, send a BLANK email to hkofounder@hellokitty.com.That's it. Founders should have some new things to look forward to from Hello Kitty Online, according to the official site: "an improved interface, new monsters, new maps, new items, and the opening of London and Paris. The Founders' Beta will also introduce gameplay changes such as an improved skill system, pet systems and team-play oriented enhancements." If you're curious about this title, either for yourself or for one of the little people in your life, don't wait too long to become a Founder -- this stage of beta testing begins on October 8th. If you're thinking about giving it a shot, be sure to check out the full details in the Hello Kitty Online News and Update page. [Via MMORPG]
HKO's social features are more than meets the eye
There's a certain temptation to believe that so-called casual games are inherently less complex than their more hardcore cousins. Whether it's born of experience, arrogance, or just plain ignorance, most people probably assume that a game like Hello Kitty Online is going to leave them wanting for features. Having just read an interview with Ali Aslanbaigi, Game Master Manager for HKO, this blogger can say that this certainly doesn't seem like the case.Aslanbaigi explains how they plan to integrate email, blogging, and user video from the Sanriotown portal into the game experience itself, making Hello Kitty Online a social media hub as much as it is casual MMO. Say what you will about the relative complexity of an Age of Conan -- Hello Kitty Online isn't just trying to compete with the big MMOs on the block, it's looking to take its place alongside Facebook, MySpace, and other social media giants. It's ambitious, to say the least.
HKO Moviewatch: You can with Hello Kitty Online
When I was told about the new change to the site, I wasn't sure what to think. However, after some research, I discovered that HKO machinimators are so much more talented than their WoW counterparts, save for Shepiwot, of course.In the video that Sanrio Digital made to show off their upcoming MMO, it's obvious that you can literally do almost anything. I can't say enough about this machinima. From the cinematic quality to the music, it's perfect in every way. I can hardly wait to try my hand at some in-world footage!(WoW Moviewatch fans, if you're out there, send machinima to machinima AT wowinsider DOT com and help me convince them that they've made the wrong choice. Oh no! They're coming for me!)Previously on the feature previously known as WoW Moviewatch ...
Breaking News: Hello Kitty Island Adventures expansion announced!
Sanrio Digital, showing a dedication to content creation and fan service that other game companies could definitely learn from, has already started in with some exciting news for Hello Kitty fans everywhere. Despite not being out of Closed Beta yet, It's been confirmed that Hello Kitty Online will have an expansion in 2009: Hello Kitty Island Adventures! The expansion will open with Hello Kitty and her friends (Including you, the player) crash landing on a desert island while on Hello Kitty Air flight 337 to the 5th World Cuteness Symposium in Perth, Australia. That's right, in a gutsy move that should rightly earn them the applause of MMO designers everywhere, Sanrio Digital is shaking things up and actually shrinking the game world to one desert island, giving Hello Kitty faithful a whole new area to explore and giving them a break from the humdrum environs of places like Mari Land and Nightengale Lane. Join us after the break for a rundown of some of the other features you can expect!
