Hello Kitty, Bublar Group and Amazon Game Tech have teamed up for a Hello Kitty augmented reality game. The game, under production by the XR technology company Bublar, will use Amazon Game Tech's backend infrastructure to run.

The game will be tested on select geographic markets in the first half of 2020 with the aim of launching in summer 2020. During the period until launch, fans will be able to take part in game news, competitions and other activities.

"We are now able to direct players and fans to our landing page for ‘Hello Kitty AR: Kawaii World,’” says Maria A Grimaldi, chief executive officer, Bublar Group. “This is the start of creating awareness about the exciting location based mobile game we have in the production pipeline. We are happy to include Amazon Game Tech and their cloud infrastructure.”

In the location-based AR game, buildings, roads and parks have been transformed into a fantasy world for Hello Kitty and her friends, based on the Google Maps platform and integrated with the Bublar Group platform.

"Since her debut in Japan in 1974, Hello Kitty has inspired generations of people around the world with her positive message of friendship and kindness,” says Jiro Kishimura, managing director, Sanrio Co. “With this game from Bublar, our dedicated fan base can play with her and the Sanrio characters through their smartphones wherever they are in a mixed-reality experience. We are happy to continue sharing the joy of Hello Kitty and the Kawaii lifestyle.”

The announcement comes during Hello Kitty’s 45^th anniversary.