Sina.com, one of the mainland's biggest Internet portals, has adopted the latest pet project of Shanghai wireless data firm Linktone, giving its 4.2 million visitors the chance to raise the perfect mobile pet online.
Last Friday, the companies agreed to put Linktone's Pet Park game on Sina's portal. Players may create, feed, educate and increase the wealth of their pets via an SMS (short messaging service) platform linked to sms.sina.com.cn.
Players aim to build the healthiest, wealthiest and smartest pets, be they dogs, cats, pigs, pandas or penguins. Those doing the best in knowledge tests make their pets leaders. They also can check on one another and exchange messages about like-minded pets.
Although there is no winner in Pet Park, the fate of the pets mirrors that of the players, giving the owners an incentive to nurture the pets well to receive compliments.
Linktone, a two-year-old short-message facilitator and content provider, launched the game last year, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the short-message version. The company processes about 40 million short messages a month.
Linktone chief marketing officer Jeremy Lee said the firm worked with Sina, one of the most heavily used sites in China, to raise the game's profile.