Disney Shuts Down Virtual Magic Kingdom
Many Disney fans and casual gamers are disappointed that the popular free online MMO, Virtual Magic Kingdom is getting its plug pulled after only 3 years of existence. Initially, the game was created to temporarily promote Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, but due to its popularity, Disney decided to keep the game running, even after the events of the celebration had ended.
Virtual Magic Kingdom is a Shockwave game developed by the Sulake Corporation, the same company behind the creation of Habbo Hotel. VMK is a virtual representation of the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom theme parks, and it contains locales and attractions based on their real life counterparts. As with Habbo Hotel, players can socialize, play games, customize their avatar and personal spaces and use in-game currency in a family-friendly atmosphere.
The community has come together to campaign for the preservation of the game, the majority of which is even willing to pay subscription fee if it means keeping VMK alive. The demographic who are most devastated by the untimely announcement are parents and their young kids who enjoy spending time playing VMK together and visiting the theme parts to complete RL quests for in-game rewards. A website has also been spawned regarding VMK’s closure where people can voice their concerns and find out what they can do to help petition against Disney’s decision to close the game.
“In the time since we’ve launched VMK, we’ve seen many players come and go, and we’re hoping you will graduate from VMK too – in particular, to games like Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Disney’s ToonTown Online, Club Penguin and the upcoming Fairies and Cars online virtual worlds. We think you’ll find you enjoy those just as much as VMK – if not more.” - Seth “Yavn” Mendelsohn, producer of VMK.
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Tags: 2d, disney, free to play, isometric, virtual magic kingdomFiled under Massively Multiplayer |
