Rising Star Games is preparing a comprehensive marketing campaign for Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends.

The game is the latest entry in the best-selling Hello Kitty franchise, which the publisher believes will become a long-tail retail success.

“Hello Kitty has an evergreen formula and, whatever the season, this product has enormous applications,” said product marketing assistant Tyrone Walcott.

“We have an extensive marketing and PR objective, which will not just be limited to launch but throughout 2010. We have a great celebrity in Hello Kitty and using her status will be key to ramping up the hype.”

There is already an ongoing campaign with the kids’ print media, with particular focus on the official Hello Kitty magazine. Consumers will also be able to sample Happy Party at October’s MCM Expo.

The publisher plans to capitalise on the franchise’s 35th birthday in November, with a fresh push to the game’s marketing planned to coincide with other merchandising plans.

“Making use of the licence has opened many avenues to reach our target audience – and not just in the UK,” added Walcott. “We are very confident this product will be a major success across Europe.”