Kotaku
Only one MMO could possibly release World of Warcraft's death-grip on the massively multiplayer gaming market - Hello Kitty Online. Sanrio Digital proudly announces that HKO - the cool gamer abbreviation sure to sweep the nation - is now entering the closed beta phase in preparation for the game's expected late 2008 release. The free-to-play game features all of the MMO standards - customizable avatars, player housing, crafting, a sophisticated combat system...Hello Kitty combat? I can't wait! The whole shebang is tied into the community features at SanrioTown.com, so players can share videos, email, and blog about their personal Hello Kitty experiences.
Targeting female players from their pre-teens to twenties, Hello Kitty Online is the first installable MMORPG to set its sights on this demographic profile.Funny, I know another group aiming at that demographic, oftentimes easily identified by the law-mandated signs in their front yard. Hit the jump for the press release and info on how you can get in on some of this hot HKO action.
Hello Kitty MMORPG goes betaSanrio Digital's "Hello Kitty Online" accepting players for closed beta
Hong Kong - February 13, 2008: Sanrio Digital (www.sanriodigital.com) today announced the closed beta launch of "Hello Kitty Online", a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) based on the famous Sanrio characters. Hello Kitty Online allows players to explore and adventure in Sanrio's fantasy world, a magical land that has recently fallen under the influence of a mysterious and malevolent power.
Players for the closed beta version are invited to apply at the official game site (www.hellokittyonline.com) or community site (www.sanriotown.com) and experience Hello Kitty Online in advance of the game release expected in the second half of 2008. Targeting female players from their pre-teens to twenties, Hello Kitty Online is the first installable MMORPG to set its sights on this demographic profile.
Hello Kitty Online is fully integrated with official Sanrio portal Sanriotown.com, which utilizes blogs, email, video sharing, Sanrio merchandise sales and more to create a digital and social experience accessible at any time. Players of Hello Kitty Online can extend their game experience on Sanriotown.com by interacting with other players, purchasing upgrades for their in-game characters, etc.
In addition to the standard MMORPG features such as customizable avatars, guilds, skill systems, and player economy, some of the outstanding Hello Kitty Online features include:
§ Unique game world: a persistent, beautifully designed environment where thousands of players and NPCs live, explore and quest in a magical world with real and imaginary zones such as the Flower Kingdom, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, and more. Real world locations offer players the ability to learn about those places.
§ Unique NPCs: players will encounter and interact with popular Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Keroppi, and many others, all animated with a variety of contextual facial expressions.
§ Free to play: Hello Kitty Online is downloaded and played free of charge. There are no subscription fees.
§ Character upgrades: the Item Mall allows players to use real money to purchase special items and upgrades for characters.
§ Player housing: players can build and customize their own houses after acquiring the necessary licenses and materials. Houses depreciate over time and need to be maintained properly or will fall in disuse. A homeowner can invite someone to visit by making an in-game telephone call, and the player called will automatically be transported to the house if she agrees.
§ Crafting system: Hello Kitty Online has an extensive crafting system with output such as tools & weapons, farming implements & furniture, a wide variety of cooked dishes, and clothing for decorative and stat-modifying items. Raw materials include wood, minerals and metals, and crops.
§ Farming: players can run their own farms, which offer extra storage room and have the potential to produce important raw materials. The farming system incorporates a number of variables such as fertility, pest infestations, and crop characteristics.
§ A different focus: although it has a sophisticated combat system, unlike other MMORPGs combat need not be a primary objective for players of Hello Kitty Online. There are many puzzles to be solved, mini-games to compete in, story lines to follow, and adventures to experience.
For more information and screenshots please visit the Hello Kitty Online Website
Comments
FINALLY.
Ok, I'll stop complaining about the lack of PS3 RPGs on the Lost Odyssey thread, as I now have something to do.
I hope 'spanking' is an option in combat situations. Most kitties loves teh spanks, it disarms them.
"Funny, I know another group aiming at that demographic, oftentimes easily identified by the law-mandated signs in their front yard."
Only you Fahey. I bet this game kicks WoW to the curb.
It's about time
I can feel my teeth rotting out of my head at those screen caps.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure!
Where's my Pokémon MMO already?! Now _that_, my friends, would seriously be a contender against WoW worldwide.
(As soon as Nintendo release some sort of mini-keyboard controller for the Wii...)
But at least this one is non-combat centred, for a change.
That's so racist. Big boys like me would love to play some Hello Kitty ;(
looks AMAZING!
Bust seriously I want the beta.
Hello Kitty for President? I don't think she was born here. Oh well...
LOL! I think this is going to be the MMO that will finally bring down WOW.
Is this what Butters was playing in Make Love Not Warcraft?
What about "Hello Kitty Island Adventure"?
@z357x is judge, jury, and executioner.:
She's probably more qualified than all of our current candidates put together.
And i'm still waiting for hello kitty : cannibal edition...
kitties... so delicious, so yummy.
It's so sweet it'll give you diabetes.
"Targeting female players from their pre-teens to twenties, Hello Kitty Online is the first installable MMORPG to set its sights on this demographic profile."
No kidding, my girlfriend literally shoved me away from the computer when I showed her the screens.
When I showed her the line reading "Only one MMO could possibly release World of Warcraft's death-grip on the massively multiplayer gaming market" and explained that WoW had 9 million subscribers she replied, "Who cares? This is Hello Kitty!".
GG, where can I buy stocks from the developer.
My GF is going to LOOOOOVVVVEEEEE this.
Just e-mailed her the link. haha
I always tease her for being a Hello Kitty fanatic at 27, but now I see the game is targeted for teens to twenties.
They've created her nirvana!
On a side note....I better get some for sharing this, and feeding her obsession. ^_^
Call me gay or something but i will be first in line to play this game. I mean you have to be a cold hearted bastard to not find those screenshots charming.
P.S.: To all Developers out there: More colors that are not some sort of brown please.
Finally!! My prayers have been answered.
When will they have the info up about T1 raiding gear?
Seriously though, it's free, why not give it a try? I'm sure the "story" in the game is supremely terrible, but I'd wager the majority of people who play WoW don't care about the story in that game either.
I'm sure I'll get sick of it rather quickly but hey I'm willing to try most any game just see how it is.
You might want to hold off on playing though. With all the Player Killing in the Open Beta, lord knows what this will be like when it gets released on the market. I just hope I get to carry over my +9 Lollipop of Destruction
Since this is community driven, will they put an age/sex restriction so the boards won't be full of older guys or pedophiles? Or have an all boy town where Keroppi, Pekkle, or Bad Batz Maru hang out?
@z357x is judge, jury, and executioner.: Nope, London :(
I'm not gonna lie, if I was younger I would be ALL over this. I'll try it out since it's free and involves Hello Kitty, but I can't picture it holding my interest very long. Why couldn't this have come out a few years ago?!
Flavor City - Enough said.
this, like hello kitty itself~ has totally melted my heart and made me smile... damn you.
Ok so, I've always wondered... is Hello its first name and Kitty its last name?
Oh the poxyclypse... she has arrived.
All we need is a Hello Kitty themed 360. It could happen.
I don't there's much that they haven't slapped a Hello Kitty face on and sold.
The WoW killer has arrived.
@Chadders: Nintendo has this long standing allergy for MMORPG's. Keep waiting.
@Chadders: Oh god yes, I want a Pokemon MMO so bad too, I've been asking for one for ages :(
Maybe this will be a good reason to quit playing Disgaea...
There is light at the end of the tunnel...
@Chadders: That would be incredibly awesome. The game is pretty much built around it anyways :)
Butters' future favorite game.
I dont understand what is the fuss about this game ?
It has 2d graphics and girly theme
I'll definitely have to check out the game. Oh, not for me, for my daughter. To make sure it's kid-safe. I, uh, have no interest in a Hello Kitty game. None whatsoever. None. Nada. Nein.
BTW, I looked all over the site and couldn't find one mention of Chococat. No Chococat? WTF!? I ain't playing if he ain't in the game!
Um. I mean my daughter's not playing if Chococat's not in the game.
What?
@eugaet: :| It's cool dude, it's cool.
@DevoL: Dude, I'm telling you. Pick this gem up, it's going to get GOTY nods in 2008. I'll put money on THAT.
@DevoL: AKA a double whammy of awesome!
didn't know you can code diabetes..
That seals it. I'm totally gay.
I wonder how many creepy middle aged men will be playing this game.
I dislike the readability of fonts with outlines. But I love fonts, I am one of these crazy San Serif fanboys that hate Comic Sans. So this game is like kryptonite, to superman, to me.
:3
I don't suppose it works on a Mac, does it? I checked the site, doesn't seem to say, but I guess it's PC only.
I probably can't really be bothered to install Windows just for this :)
Is it bad that this MMO sounds a whole lot like there's more to do than other free MMOs?...
all right! hello kitty island adventure!
YES
sweet Jesus, it has hitpoints! I wonder how the pvp is.
FUCK YEA!!!!!
I am sooooooooo playing this <3
<3 Me wants it so bad <3
Yay, Pedophile Central!
My sister loves Hello kitty i should tell her all about this.
"Farming: players can run their own farms..."
If HKO provides a Harvest Moon-like experience, I will gladly submit my remaining years to the production of virtual fruits and vegetables. I shudder to think of how many of my gaming hours the various editions of that piece of digital crack have eaten up.
Im going to craft pure love and joy in heart shaped bottles and sell it for 100 friendship points a piece. Find me in the Flower garden to make the trade.
@EnigmaNemesis: Hello Kitty MMO + Maple Story + R.O.S.E. (ragnarok) the Holy Trinity of Pedobears worldwide
I'm just entertained, seeing this when I got up made me laugh for awhile, but I took a farther and decided I wanted to laugh in game. So I signed up for closed beta. xD
Anyone know Butters' username for it?
YES. ;~; I've been waiting for a new MMo that might hold my interest for a few weeks, and it looks like this will be it.
I can only hope that - given its younger target audience - it's a little less grindtastic than most.