Hello Kitty Seasons
Our feline friend's first Wii outing, coming later this year from Sanrio Digital and Zoo Games.
Hong Kong & Cincinnati, OH – June 15, 2010 – Sanrio Digital and Zoo Games, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zoo Entertainment, Inc. (ZOOED:OB), today announced the pre-holiday 2010 release of Hello Kitty Seasons for the Nintendo Wii gaming platform. Hello Kitty Seasons is the first Hello Kitty title for the Wii and the latest addition to the line-up of game titles that feature Sanrio characters, which also includes Hello Kitty Big City Dreams and Hello Kitty Birthday Adventures. Hello Kitty Seasons was developed by Sanrio Digital and is to be published by Zoo Games.
Hello Kitty Seasons will challenge players to create a character and direct the development of a colorful town populated by lovable Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty ® , My Melody ® , Keroppi ® , Badtz-Maru ® , Little Twin Stars ® and Chococat ® . Players will build up the community around them to unlock new levels and a variety of adventures while playing fun and exciting mini games that challenge their Wii Remote skills. Along the way, players will customize their town, earn achievements, discover bonuses and unlock power-ups. As time passes, the game world changes to reflect the player’s actions and the turning of the seasons, with each season presenting its own challenges and opportunities.
“It’s exciting to extend our Hello Kitty branded games portfolio to the Nintendo Wii console platform,” said Robert Ferrari, Vice President Publishing and Business Development for Sanrio Digital. “With Hello Kitty Seasons we are introducing Wii players to the engaging and fun-filled gameplay of a Hello Kitty title.”
“It is a privilege to launch the first Hello Kitty Wii title at retail,” said Mark Seremet, CEO of Zoo Games. “We are committed to our line-up of great Sanrio Digital titles and the tradition of fun and entertaining software with games like Hello Kitty Seasons.”
NAMCO BANDAI, set to distribute Hello Kitty Seasons in European markets, shares both Sanrio Digital’s and Zoo Games’ excitement. “The Hello Kitty brand is a global phenomenon, so we are very pleased to be adding this great game to our distribution portfolio,” said Alberto González Lorca, Vice President Third Parties, NAMCO BANDAI Partners. “We look forward to working with our partners at Zoo and SanrioDigital to make the first appearance of Hello Kitty on the Wii a great success.”
Hello Kitty Seasons will be available at retail stores starting pre-holiday 2010. The game is distributed by Zoo Games in North America, and by NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
About SANRIO
SANRIO, best known for global icon Hello Kitty ® and home to many more endearing characters including Chococat ® , My Melody ® , and Keroppi ® , is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. August 2010 marks the golden anniversary for the worldwide lifestyle brand that was founded on the “small gift, big smile ® ” philosophy -- that a small gift can bring a big smile to people of all ages. Today, over 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere SANRIO character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 95 Sanrio boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com.
About Sanrio Digital
Sanrio Digital is a joint venture between Typhoon Games (HK) Ltd. and Sanrio Wave Hong Kong Co., Ltd. Sanrio Digital is responsible for the expansion of Sanrio intellectual property assets into various digital and online media, leveraging an extensive library of original material that includes world-famous brands such as Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, My Melody and others. Sanrio Digital is the developer and global publisher of Hello Kitty Online. For more information please visit www.sanriodigital.com.
About Zoo Entertainment, Inc.
As a leader in the high growth, casual gaming sector, Zoo Entertainment, Inc. licenses, develops and publishes a wide variety of casual and family-friendly video games for the Nintendo Wii TM , Nintendo DS TM , Sony Playstation ® , Sony PlayStation ® Portable, Sony PlayStation ® Network, iPhone ® , and PC platforms through the company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Zoo Games, Inc. and Zoo Publishing, Inc. Founded in 2007, Zoo Entertainment is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Led by a team of veteran industry executives, Zoo Entertainment has a diverse and growing library of nearly 100 high-value interactive game titles in a variety of categories including game show, racing, childrens’, simulation, and shooter. The company’s portfolio approach to product development drives its powerful and diversified content library, thereby mitigating operational risk. Zoo Entertainment has a well-established distribution network and sells its products to national and regional retailers, specialty retailers and video game rental outlets. The company also has licensing relationships with many widely respected brands. With its innovative content creation site, indiePubGames.com, Zoo Entertainment is poised to capitalize on opportunities in the emerging and high growth digital entertainment space. For more information, please visit www.zoogamesinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Zoo Entertainment, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries, Zoo Games and Zoo Publishing. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements, based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Zoo Games, Inc.'s management, are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: general economic conditions; geopolitical events and regulatory changes; requirements or changes adversely affecting the businesses in which Zoo Games, Inc. is engaged; demand for the products and services that Zoo Games, Inc. provides, as well as other relevant risks detailed in Zoo Entertainment, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Zoo Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Zoo Games and Zoo Publishing, assume no obligation to update the information contained in this press release.
Media Contacts:
Sanrio Digital
Robert Ferrari
VP Publishing & Business Development
Tel: +1 (617) 899-3347
E-mail: rferrari@sanriodigital.com
Sanrio, Inc.
Dyann Hawkins, Orsi Public Relations
(323) 874-4073
dyann@orsipr.com
Zoo Games, Inc.
Rachel Belinky
(513) 824-8297
rbelinky@zoogamesinc.com
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