Maybe Hello Kitty Online will become the the "cutest" MMOG you have played. Created by Sanrio Digital and based in Hong Kong, Hello Kitty Online is the first-ever online game platform featuring the all-time-favorite Hello Kitty characters from Sanrio. Players will find that Hello Kitty Online is not just an MMOG,but an integrated social space, with blogs and mini-games that you can access directly from the game. At this year's Chinajoy we had the opportunity to talk with Ali Aslanbaigi,the Managing Game Master for Hello Kitty Online, and his colleagues. If you are a Hello Kitty fan, you owe it to yourself to give these details about the game a try. Just hit the jump to read the full interview.

MMOsite: Hi,glad to talk with you. To start,can you basically introduce yourself and your company? Where are you based and what are your game-related backgrounds?

Ali Aslanbaigi: First off,I'm glad to be here. I'm Ali Aslanbaigi,Managing Game Master for Hello Kitty Online. HKO is developed by Sanrio Digital (www.sanriodigital.com) and Typhoon Games (www.typhoongames.com) while the artwork and many of the sounds are by Dream Cortex (www.dreamcortex.com) which are all based in Hong Kong.

 I've been playing video-games ever since I could walk but it all started to get serious when Final Fantasy 3 came out. At that time,I knew that I want to make my mark in the industry. And then,I delved into the whole multiplayer scene with Diablo 2,and then on to World of Warcraft and then Guild Wars. Going online is the next best and smartest move...the next rung in the evolution of gaming. 


 
MMOsite: How will you summarize Hello Kitty Online (HKO)? What are the outstanding features of HKO? What's your favorite aspect of the game,and why?

Ali Aslanbaigi: Hello Kitty Online is a very different kind of MMORPG that focuses on social networking and it is integrated with Sanriotown.com,Sanriotown's official online community that offers a plethora of features and services such as email,casual gaming,blogs,forums and video editing/sharing.

 What's unique about HKO is that it is centered around the whole concept of community. Players can partake in social activities such as minigames as well as view the blogs and videos of other people in-game. Let's say something awesome happened in the game like a player getting a pet card,he/she can blog about it and tell other players to view it so that she can share that awesome experience. That sort of community nurturing is what we're aiming for here in HKO.

 Of course,we shouldn't forget the "game" feature of HKO. Farming is one of the biggest draws of the game and my favorite aspect as well. Players have the opportunity to raise their own farm and start their own "business" since farming is the best source of income. Players can trade or sell their crops to other players as well use it as recipes for the game's crafting system (more on that later). All players start out with small starter farms but as they progress,they can purchase bigger,glitzier,and of course,more expensive plots of land. Be warned,though they may look awesome and allow you to plant more crops,you will be looking after a LOT of different plants with varying degrees of growth difficulty (some are easy to grow while others require you to watch over them like a hawk).

 HKO has a wider range of social functionality than what can be found in staple MMOs in the market because we have integrated the official Sanriotown community in the game itself.   

MMOsite: How is your closed beta going along? So far,how many players have participated in the closed beta? Have you received a lot of good advice from the gamers? Will there be another CB?

Ali Aslanbaigi: Our first closed beta ended on June 1,2008 and had around 3,000 participants. I have to say,we have the best player base in the world. They gave us great advice on how to improve the game and ways to make it feel a lot more "complete". They had a great time playtesting the game. Oh man,I can't stress how integral player feedback was. I'm sure they will be back in full force once Open Beta starts.