Hello Kitty Online: Progress Report Interview

HKO is now in Commercial Launch in the Philippines, the most recent in a series of launches in countries around the world. Tell us about that.

Sanrio Digital and Level Up! Philippines just launched HKO commercially in the Philippines. It's a country with a large active base of online gamers and high brand awareness of Hello Kitty, so this is an exciting milestone for the global rollout of Hello Kitty Online.

What is your favorite zone in the world right now? Where are players hanging out the most?

That's a tough question! There are so many zones in HKO that I love. At the moment, my favorite in-game zone is Florapolis, because I like Purin and Florapolis is all about Purin! I love hanging out there. Many players love to hang out in the cities, where all the cute Sanrio Characters are. London is quite popular, as are the other major cities, but it really depends. Typically, wherever there is a GM event, that's where you will find most players. HKO holds regular GM events in which participants have a chance to win several free items.

Hello Kitty Online has a lot of character customization options. Tell us, what are the popular items to get in game?

Head gear is surprisingly popular in HKO. Players just can't get enough head items! I always get a laugh out of the Moose Hat, which can be found in Florapolis. It's very cool. Other popular items are the outfit sets that you can get only by questing in higher level cities. Completing certain quest chains lets you choose from a bunch of different equipment sets. My favorite outfit set in the game right now is the Monkey Suit that players can obtain in Beijing.

Many people think HKO is geared toward a younger audience, but there are definitely some fun parts of the game for older players, can you talk about this demographic?

Hello Kitty is a brand that appeals to consumers of all ages. Young girls often form attachments to Hello Kitty branded consumer products like plushies, toys, garments, and the like. As they mature into teens and young women, many of them find that the Hello Kitty brand fits well with their lifestyle. At that stage the brand is about individual expression and can be found on apparel, jewelry, electronics, mobile content, etc. Hello Kitty is a brand that inspires an entire community of brand loyalists of all ages, and Hello Kitty Online is the perfect environment to bring this community together in a fun and engaging MMOG. Players in very different demographics love the various cities, creatures, themes and activities, and the social communication aspect contributes to the broad appeal of this game. For example, mothers and daughters frequently play HKO as a way to have fun together, or to communicate over distances.

HKO has some major social components to the game. Tell us what social tools are available to players in game, how can they use them?

The social tools built into Hello Kitty Online include blogs, user generated video sharing, and email, all accessible directly from inside the game. As a player I can check my email, share my blog and view videos all from within the game without ever logging out, and we are designing even greater functionality. No other MMOG has this level of integration with social networking services.

Players have a lot of options when it comes to their personal space, can you tell us about player housing, gardens, etc?

Farms and Houses provide players with endless avenues for customization. Each player starts off owning a basic farm, which is a plot of land. There are different types of houses that players can build on their farms. For houses, we have tons of furniture and decoration items that players can mix and match any way they want. In addition to providing the ground on which to build a house, farms also let players get creative in their own private garden. When well tended, a farm can be a good source of income.

HKO has an exciting in-game store. What types of items will players be able to buy? Will there be special holiday and event items?

I am very excited about our Item Mall. There are a ton of avatar items that players can purchase and show off in the game. These items really help to make HKO even more colorful and fun. Aside from clothes, the Item Mall will also offer functional items, like Sunbright Express train tickets. These tickets grant access to the transportation system, letting players reach major locations in Hello Kitty Online at any time. There are also items that will assist you during your stay in HKO. Two examples are the Auto House Builder and Pet Nanny. The Auto House Builder helps you gather resources and also reduces the time it takes to build a house, while the Pet Nanny will take care of your pet for you.

The items I just mentioned are pretty cool, but what we are going to release in the near future is even more exciting. We are planning to offer revamped consumable avatar items with stats in the coming month. This will really help the players that want to speed up their progression during their adventure in HKO. We are also planning to release more farm items, houses and bundle packages. And for the first time, we will have Item Mall exclusive pets!

Since Christmas is around the corner, we are preparing lots of goodies to be sold in the Item Mall over the holidays. We are planning to release items on a weekly basis and there are definitely some surprises that people will love this holiday season!

Then there is the Loyalty Points section of our Item Mall. Some items can be purchased using SanrioTown Loyalty Points, which you earn simply by using the services offered by Sanriotown. There are TONS of cool things in there and it is definitely worth checking it out.

How can players communicate in game as well as through the Sanrio Digital network?

Players in HKO are also members of SanrioTown, our community site for Hello Kitty and Sanrio fans. SanrioTown members receive a free personal Sanrio email account (like @hellokitty.com or @mymelody.com), which is a fully featured email solution. SanrioTown's user generated video service offers a simple interface for creating and posting user generated videos and presentations. SanrioTown Blogs offer the ability to create Sanrio-themed blogs. We also have other fun services such as e-cards, mini games, calendar creation, downloads, etc. As I mentioned earlier, the email, blog, and video applications are all integrated directly into HKO to provide a true social gaming experience.

The game is launching in the Philippines right now, what other areas are slated for launch on the global stage?

We have a very busy schedule. HKO recently launched in Europe, Malaysia, Indonesia, and now in the Philippines. North America is currently running its open beta and we are very excited for this region's approaching commercial launch. Future launches coming up include Brazil and Thailand. Stay tuned to hear more about other regions that will soon have their localized version of Hello Kitty Online.

Tell us your favorite part about Hello Kitty Online.

Wow, that's a tough question! There are so many cool things I love about Hello Kitty Online. One of my favorite aspects is the friendly atmosphere within our game. During our Betas, the mood and friendliness were beyond anything I have ever seen in other MMOGs. Generally, everyone wants to help each other and chat. There are always players that are willing to help, and you can just approach anyone and start up a conversation! The HKO players really help make our game a truly unique experience. This has exceeded even our expectations and has made me very proud of our players and the game. Then, of course, there's the appeal of Sanrio characters! They are everywhere, and many of our quests are designed to teach players more about these cute characters. You get to meet everyone from Kappi to Hello Kitty!! Some characters also have mini games that you can play upon meeting them. The mini games are inventive and colorful, and provide quick fun whether you are on your own or in the company of others.