Hello Kitty Parent Company Sanrio Enters Gaming Industry, Hopes to Expand Fan Base
Sanrio, the parent company of Hello Kitty, has announced its entry into the video game industry, aiming to launch 10 original games within the next three years to attract new fans. The first game, 'Sanrio Party Land' (tentative title), is expected to be released this autumn for Nintendo Switch. The company plans to invest up to 10 billion JPY in its gaming business.
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- 📰 Published: April 21, 2026 at 18:31
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(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 21st, comprehensive foreign news report) Sanrio, the Japanese design company that owns characters like Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and Kuromi, today announced the establishment of a video game division to attract new fans, with the goal of launching 10 original games within the next three years.
Agence France-Presse reported that Hello Kitty is a classic representation of Japan's economically significant "kawaii" culture. Although Sanrio's characters have appeared in video games before, they were always developed by third parties.
Sanrio President Tomokuni Tsuji stated at a press conference that they hope to expand their fan base through self-developed original games. "We also want to reach people who are not part of our traditional fan base, such as boys and adult men."
He added, "The video game market is a very large market, and people spend a lot of time on games. This is an industry we must enter."
Sanrio is investing up to 10 billion Japanese Yen (approximately 1.98 billion New Taiwan Dollars) in its gaming business during the three-year period ending March next year.
Sanrio announced today that its first game, "Sanrio Party Land" (tentative title), will be released by this autumn at the latest for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles by Japanese gaming industry giant Nintendo. It will include at least 45 mini-games and feature at least 145 Sanrio characters. (Compiled by Chang Cheng-chien) 1150421
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(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 21st, comprehensive foreign news report) Sanrio, the Japanese design company that owns characters like Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and Kuromi, today announced the establishment of a video game division to attract new fans, with the goal of launching 10 original games within the next three years.
Agence France-Presse reported that Hello Kitty is a classic representation of Japan's economically significant "kawaii" culture. Although Sanrio's characters have appeared in video games before, they were always developed by third parties.
Sanrio President Tomokuni Tsuji stated at a press conference that they hope to expand their fan base through self-developed original games. "We also want to reach people who are not part of our traditional fan base, such as boys and adult men."
He added, "The video game market is a very large market, and people spend a lot of time on games. This is an industry we must enter."
Sanrio is investing up to 10 billion Japanese Yen (approximately 1.98 billion New Taiwan Dollars) in its gaming business during the three-year period ending March next year.
Sanrio announced today that its first game, "Sanrio Party Land" (tentative title), will be released by this autumn at the latest for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles by Japanese gaming industry giant Nintendo. It will include at least 45 mini-games and feature at least 145 Sanrio characters. (Compiled by Chang Cheng-chien) 1150421
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the "First-hand News" APP from Central News Agency to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.