SHELBURNE FALLS, Mass., March 3, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Pileated Pictures, an online entertainment studio with a focus on virtual worlds and casual massively multiplayer games (MMOs), released information about its first two launches for 2008: The first is a major update to Hasbro's LITTLEST PET SHOP VIPs virtual world web site, which launched internationally in early February with new features in nine languages, making it one of the largest global rollouts of a virtual world to date. The second is Pileated Pictures' original creation, PlanetCazmo.com, a virtual world for Teens and Tweens that has seen impressive viral growth in a short period, without any promotional efforts.
Pileated Delivers Multi-Language Virtual World for Hasbro
Hasbro's LITTLEST PET SHOP VIPs virtual world is now accessible in nine languages, with an expanded collection of new pets, online activities and games. Designed for young girls, LITTLEST PET SHOP VIPs are a collection of plush pets with codes that unlock access to an online virtual world where each pet comes to life as playful characters. The new version of the game includes significant enhancements including more games, activities and community features where girls and their VIPs can explore, nurture, exercise, "shop" and decorate. With well over 20 games and activities, the launch in nine languages makes it one of the largest global roll-out of a virtual world to date.
"It was once again fantastic to work with Hasbro, this time to take the LITTLEST PET SHOP VIP's to a global market," said Pileated President, Michael Levine. "Launching simultaneously in nine different languages puts Pileated in a select group who have launched a virtual world to an international audience, and we plan to keep growing the experience in the months ahead with new content and features."
PLANET CAZMO excites thousands of young gamers looking for their next great online hang-out
Pileated Pictures has also been building PLANET CAZMO, a browser-based Virtual World for Teens and Tweens. In December they quietly went into open beta, in stealth mode, hoping to attract more users to test their technology and game.
"Perhaps the most interesting result to come out of the test period," reported Levine, "is that we never had the chance to officially announce the program -- it took off as a result of just a couple blog posts, followed by the enthusiasm of a crowd of players. Its just been growing steadily in a true viral nature since then, and is showing no signs of slowing down."
PLANET CAZMO was scheduled to launch the official Beta program at the beginning of 2008 with the intention of inviting a few thousand testers. But during the last week of 2007 a handful of young gamers discovered the web site, entered the world, loved it, and spread the word via the social Web and telling their friends.
"Just a couple blog posts on a popular Club Penguin forum generated a wave of viral energy," explains Levine. Within 48 hours there were several thousand PLANET CAZMO enthusiasts, "many of whom went on to publish or participate in one of the dozens of blogs that soon surfaced to talk about the product. In short order, many more users found us through these consumer-created channels. The response has been amazing, and with virtually no promotional effort on our part. We can't wait to see what happens as we move from Beta to the official launch, and deploy our own strategic marketing plan. We're very encouraged."
At the end of the six-week testing period, PLANET CAZMO is approaching hundreds of thousands of unique users from 94 countries. By their own initiative, the PLANET CAZMO testers have started almost 700 online discussions and posted more than 100 online videos which have been viewed more than 8,000 times. Levine says the PLANET CAZMO development team has used the beta tester feedback to uncover insights about the interests of the youth social gaming audience, and is presently completing the PLANET CAZMO 1.0 version scheduled to launch during the second quarter of 2008.
About Pileated Pictures
Pileated Pictures, LLC is an entertainment studio creating video games, character animation, concepts and stories, with a specialty in creating multiplayer online virtual worlds. Pileated has a long history creating video games and content for clients including Hasbro, Inc., Universal Records, MCA Records, LucasArts, GameCock Media Group and THQ, as well as recording artists Nelly, TLC, Britney Spears, Master P and the Cash Money Millionaires. Pileated Pictures' team includes veterans of LucasArts Entertainment, Pixar, ILM and the television show Seinfeld. The studio is set to release "Insecticide," a Nintendo DS and PC game under their Crackpot Entertainment label, and "PLANETCAZMO.COM," their own music themed multiplayer virtual world. For more information visit http://www.pileated.com