The Global Boom

2004 · GLOBAL BOOM After expanding into Japan, Spain, Italy and Sweden the year before, Habbo's international growth went into overdrive in 2004. Nine new hotels opened during the year: the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Norway, the United States, Australia, France, Singapore and Denmark. Suddenly, Habbo wasn't simply a collection of European communities — it was becoming a genuinely global virtual world. The expansion also brought Habbo into new cultures and languages while keeping the familiar pixelated world at its centre. Each hotel had its own local community and, in the early years, even its own distinctive Hotel View, giving every country its own visual identity. The 2004 Japanese hotel, for example, had its own interface and environment rather than simply being a translated copy of another hotel. But 2004 wasn't only about opening new hotels. The experience inside them was growing too. Pets arrived in January, beginning with cats and dogs, and quickly became one of the most beloved parts of the hotel. The first pets were actually awarded to winners of a January Pet Trail event before cats and dogs appeared in the catalogue in February. The year also saw Habbo's community culture becoming more organised. User-run communities and fansites were already appearing, with Habbox, founded in 2003, becoming one of the first fansites to receive official recognition in 2004. The site would go on to win the first Best Fansite award at the 2004 Habbo Awards. Fansites were becoming an important part of the ecosystem surrounding the hotel — reporting news, tracking rare values, running radio stations and creating their own communities. Furniture continued to be at the heart of the experience. By now, collecting, trading and decorating had become major parts of Habbo culture, while larger campaigns and events gave players reasons to return to the hotel again and again. The catalogue was growing rapidly, and the distinction between ordinary furniture, seasonal pieces and coveted rares was becoming increasingly important to collectors. By the end of 2004, Habbo had changed dramatically from the small Finnish hotel that had opened just four years earlier. Sixteen hotels were now operating across four continents, and Sulake had grown to more than 160 employees. What started as a tiny experiment in virtual socialising had become a rapidly expanding international community — and the golden age of Habbo was only beginning.