Sulake in the media
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Sulake CEO discusses Niko, Habbo Hotel and the drive to move audiences across platforms
"With over 10 million unique visitors a month, Habbo Hotel is the world’s largest game and online community for teenagers, with users in over 150 countries. With parent company Sulake releasing Niko, its second iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) game, this week, VentureBeat spoke to chief executive Paul LaFontaine, about his cross-platform strategy."
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European Commission: Xbox Live, Habbo Hotel Are Safest 'Social Networks'
"A new report by the European Commission has found that social networking site Habbo Hotel and Microsoft's Xbox Live service are two of the safest social networks available to minors."
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Nation of adults who will write like children?
(CNN) -- A glance at teen stars Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber's letters to their younger selves makes one thing clear: their handwriting is terrible. In the letters, part of the Habbo Celebrity "Advice to My Teenage Self" book, the content is messy and their cursive signatures are barely legible.
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Interview: How Sulake Keeps Habbo Going Strong After The Virtual Worlds Bubble
"What's commonly referred to as the "virtual worlds bubble" has come and gone, but after over 10 years in operation, Habbo, Sulake's online world for teens and tweens, just reported a record year, with 2010 revenues up 20 percent over the year previous."
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Is Virtual Media on the Rebound?
"Several virtual worlds players like Habbo, Stardoll hit major milestones."
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Habbo Hotel Reaches 200 Million Registrations
"Helsinki-based developer Sulake announced that Habbo Hotel received its 200 millionth registration last month, just over ten years after after the teen-targeted, free-to-play virtual world launched."
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Habbo owners reaching new heights
"Facebook is still a new phenomenon when compared to other online social communities. Habbo Hotel launched in August 2000 and to this day is still the bread and butter of developer and owner Sulake. Habbo has changed a lot over the past decade, but its appeal to its target market - teenagers - hasn’t wavered for a minute."
Interview with CEO Timo Soininen.
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Online friends almost as valuable as real family
"Young people identify with their online community almost as much as their own family, according to a new study. The international research, which was authored by Dr Vili Lehdonvirta, a researcher at the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology and Professor Pekka Räsänen from the University of Turku, Finland, looked at the users of teenage online community Habbo."
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How Did Habbo Beat Zynga At the Virtual World Game?
"If you think Facebook is the sole model of social games and virtual worlds, think again: With 15 million monthly users, a web-based world for teens with the odd name of Habbo is larger than most of Facebook’s top games, including Zynga’s virtual world YoVille."
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The new wave of surfing
"As both a precautionary and reactionary measure, Habbo has resorted to enlisting the help of localized police forces in some communities to maintain order within Hotel walls."
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Ten years of virtual worlds: Habbo hits a decade
"Far from being a flash in the pan, sites like Habbo Hotel can claim both longevity and profitability - both often elusive qualities for social web institutions."
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Habbo owner's profits rebound in Q1
"Sulake Corporation, owner of virtual world Habbo, has increased revenue by 25% over the past year."
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Who Is Your Fashion Icon?
"According to the Global Habbo Hotel Fashion Survey, Lady Gaga currently reigns as the Top Teen Fashion Icon. Runners-up include Paris Hilton, Gisele Bundchen and Miley Cyrus."
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Teens more willing to support brands online
"Habbo Hotel, the worlds largest virtual community for teens, discovers that brand friending for teenagers online is a powerful way to build brand advocacy."
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Habbo, Facebook Join Forces
"Social media and virtual worlds are overlapping more and more. Now leading kids virtual community Habbo is looking to accelerate that trend by cross-pollinating its audience with the worlds’ leading social network."
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Habbo Hotel Launches Teen Marketing Tool
"Teenage virtual world Habbo Hotel has introduced a new measurement tool that provides marketers with insight into the level of conversations taking place about their brands."
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Habbo Hotel creators hope to welcome older users
"Sulake , a private Finnish company, is hoping to build on its success with Habbo Hotel, a virtual world visited by 14m teenagers every month, with a new mobile version for young adults, Bobba Bar."
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MTV next-generation: iconic music awards arrive on Habbo
"Habbo Hotel, the virtual world for teenagers, has teamed up with the MTV Europe Music Awards to create a branded space in which users can hang out back stage and emulate pop stars by winning a virtual award."
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Virtual reality check
"Sulake, for its part, is big on getting user feedback, which has been an essential element in bringing its current worldwide registered user count to 142 million (90% of which are between ages 13 and 19)."
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Habbo research shows teens no longer join one tribe
"Habbo, the online teenage community, has coined the phrase “tribal tourism” to describe the new approach of teenagers in its latest study."
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World teens cutting spending on clothes, games
"In the economic downturn, teenagers around the world have focused their spending cuts on clothes, games and food, according to a survey by networking site Habbo Hotel."
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Free or fee - which way should tech media companies go?
"Daniel Ek, chief executive of much-hyped music service Spotify, says virtual world Habbo Hotel inspired his quest to give away free tunes."
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Habbo Hotel owner eyes mobile to boost growth
"Finnish Internet company Sulake, known for its teen networking site Habbo Hotel, is looking for a growth boost from the September launch of a new mobile virtual world, its chairman said on Thursday."
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Mika Salmi Lands at Habbo Parent Sulake
"Mika Salmi, the former global head of MTV Networks’ varied digital businesses has been installed as chairman of the board of directors at Sulake the Helsinki, Finland-based company which manages the popular teen-targeted virtual world Habbo."
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Habbo's Sulka Haro Talks Design, Social Dynamics
"Sulake's Sulka Haro (Habbo) is one of the more thoughtful minds in social games today, and Gamasutra quizzes him about exceeding user expectations, child rearing, and quality of life in the Finnish game industry."
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X marks spot and many ask Y, but gen Z new kid on brand block
"Habbo says there are enormous challenges for companies trying to appeal to the more selfish tendencies of generation X while simultaneously attempting to woo the younger "Zeds"."
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Habbo hosts Museum room for new movie
"20th Century Fox has launched a digital version of the Smithsonian Museum in teen virtual world Habbo to promote the cinema release of Nightat the Museum 2 on 20 May."
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GDC: Habbo's Haro Talks Marrying Social Worlds With Game Mechanics
"2008 was a good year for Habbo. It's seen about 40 percent growth in the number of users, according to Sulake lead designer Sulka Haro -- from 89 million total signups last year to 126 million today."
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'Heroes' hops on to Habbo's virtual world
"NBC Universal struck a deal with Habbo's Finnish developers, Sulake, to drum up interest in the show "Heroes." NBC is introducing a new spin-off character there named Syn Anders."
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'Idol' cozies up to Habbo community
"With its eighth season kicking off on Fox, "American Idol" is looking to appeal to a new group of teens. FremantleMedia Enterprises has inked a deal with virtual world Habbo to offer up Idol-branded merchandise to the 3 million teens that are members in the U.S."
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Virtual Worlds Forum 08: Habbo Hotel
"Here's one that fell through the cracks: an interview with the brains behind Habbo Hotel - the phenomenally successful social virtual world."
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Habbo teams with War Child for online peace march
"Habbo has teamed with charity War Child to stage an online peace march to mark the UN International Day of Peace."
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Sulake's Jeremy Monroe Talks Targeted Advertising To Teens
"Social network and virtual world Habbo (formerly Habbo Hotel) began in Finland in 2000, and has since grown to a worldwide community with over 100 million avatars registered and over eight million unique visitors monthly..."
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Girl, you spend too much! Habbo puts users on an allowance
"Mention virtual worlds to game executives these days, and dollar signs appear in their eyes. Not at Habbo. The virtual world puts its members on an allowance."
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Habbo: a social virtual world for teens
"Habbo’s mix of social networking, casual gaming and virtual worlds has proved a winning formula among young people, who form the bulk of the site’s user base."
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Un hotel con 97 millones de habitaciones
"Games, chat, money, parallel reality... Habbo Hotel is an online game and the most successful virtual community for teens all over the world."
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What Do Teens Want?
"Using its online community, Habbo, Sulake surveyed some 58,000 teenagers to compile marketing data covering cosmetics to mobile-phone preferences. "
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Survey: Teens Love PlayStation 3
"A recent survey conducted by virtual world Habbo revealed that teens love the PlayStation 3 more than the Nintendo Wii or the Xbox 360."
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The World's Most Valuable Digital Startups
"We believe Habbo posted about $75 million in revenue in 2007, and we expect that number will exceed $100 million in 2008."
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Habbo inks deal with Double Fusion
"Habbo announced that leading in-game advertising firm Double Fusion has become it ad sales agency of record as it looks to further integrate fashion, sports and entertainment brand into its teen-centric virtual world."
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WMA signs teen-friendly Habbo
" Looking to connect with teens, the William Morris Agency has signed online virtual world Habbo as a new-media client."
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Habbo, 86 Million Strong And Counting
"As of January 2008, the site has generated some pretty impressive numbers: 8.3 million unique visitors a month with some 86 million registered users. What’s more, about 90% of Habbo’s users are in that jeunesse doree “demo” chased after by advertisers, 13 to 18 year olds."
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Par teams with Habbo for promos
"Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment and Habbo, the teen-centric virtual world, have inked a deal to create and merchandize virtual goods based on at least three of the studio's films."
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A Virtual Beach Party
"Juicy Fruit found a partner in HabboHotel.com, a virtual environment delivering more than 124,000 unique visitors per month in Australia with a core age group of 13 to 18. "
