Neopets is an independent company for the first time in 18 years and the developer promises a “back to the glory days.” The Neopets team posted an announcement on the developer’s Medium site which examines the recent change in leadership and the future of the world of Neopets. The announcement also shares that the developer is retiring from the metaverse in favor of a mobile app and a revitalization of the Neopets.com site.
“We are on the cusp of a new era,” the post reads in part. “As Neopets’ 25th anniversary approaches next year, we have snowman-sized plans to celebrate. An Island Builders relaunch, an exclusive virtual concert, and a brand new plot (yes, you read that right) are just some of the exciting plans we have for the near future!”
Neopets was at its peak in the early 2000s, serving as a hub of Flash mini-games, egg-related currencies, and adorable pets to collect. All of these activities were self-contained, but with a little digging, fans were able to uncover an overarching plot involving fairies, wizards, and the rise of mysterious obelisks.
Despite a decline in its user base, Neopets has continued to maintain relevance, albeit not always in a positive way. A “black market” of neopets flourished, with users sharing scripts depicting quality-of-life changes. “Unconverted pets,” collectibles that had not been upgraded to a new art style, became incredibly rare, creating an illegal pet trading market based on exploiting other users’ accounts.
The ravages of time have also affected Neopets; the site’s Flash games no longer work, and there are several security and user interface issues that affect users. The Neopets team says the new website, launching July 20, will use the Ruffle emulator to recreate the old games. In addition, there is a new mobile game called World of Neopets Is in the making. World of Neopets is a social life simulation game, and there are no crypto or NFT aspects to the game.
Neopets was purchased by Viacom in 2005 and later sold to JumpStart. JumpStart would later be acquired by NetDragon, which would eventually close the company. A management buyout deal allowed the Neopets team to take control of the IP. When the new site goes live on July 20, it will reportedly include a roadmap that will reveal more details about Neopets’ planned story and in-game events.