Hello Kitty exploded onto the fashion scene after debuting in 1974 when Sanrio established her as a greeting card character. However, her charm and innocence quickly established her in the hearts and minds of an adoring public and she swiftly became a must-have collectable for girls around the world. Hello Kitty has since grown into one of the most recognizable characters in the world, with her image adorning everything from t-shirts to jewelry and mobile phones. Hello Kitty is also not short of celebrity admirers and can count Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz and Gwen Stefani as fans.
Hello Kitty's return to a variety of console formats, combined with Empire's efforts to establish her on handhelds, the gaming popularity for Hello Kitty and the Sanrio Brand is set to grow both within her huge fan base and to a broader consumer audience.
Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire Interactive, stated, ``Hello Kitty is a global brand with a mass appeal to both girls and non-traditional gamers. The move to multi-format console and handhelds is an exciting one and will strengthen this unique brand and deliver it to a wider audience. We are delighted to be co-developing a new Hello Kitty game which will bring this colorful world to the masses.''
Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings, said, ``Our Hello Kitty partnership affiliates Empire with another exciting global brand. It is evidence that Empire can provide the development and marketing expertise to transform global franchises into popular games on multi-format platforms. We are confident that our significant earlier success in Europe will be extended onto new platforms in the international marketplace.''
Yat Siu, CEO of Sanrio Digital, said, ``We are excited to work with Empire and hope this collaboration will successfully extend the good qualities of Hello Kitty and her friends to console games.''