Chelsea Fisher
eSomethin Staff
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On January 31st, the beloved virtual world of Club Penguin announced it is shutting down. It is the end of an era to millions of people; the game started in 2005 and was an independent company until Disney bought it in 2007 for $350 million. And now, almost 12 years later, it’s time to say goodbye.
Club Penguin is hosting a final party that began on February 1st, it’s celebrating all that club penguin has hosted and achieved since it began. In 2012, according to Tech Crunch, there were over 200 million users. The numbers, however, began to dwindle. It makes sense that this is part of the reason for shutting down.
Fortunately, Club Penguin Island will soon be making its debut. It is a new mobile only game that is supposed to be a more modern take on the beloved world. Players may register early beginning February 16th. As someone who was addicted to her account from 2005-2013, however, its not the same.
If you’re like me and want to go on and reminisce for the next few days, you may not be able to. Non-member accounts are deleted after a year of inactivity and members are deleted after two years. Coins and items will not be able to be transferred to the new game, either.
Club Penguin was a childhood staple to many high-school-age students. There are still millions of active members and even more of us who happily remember all the hours we wasted in the universe. It is a virtual world where you control your animated penguin avatar. You can play games, have pets, decorate you igloo, read the newspaper that was updated every week, participate in parties (many of them themed after Disney movies,) buy clothes, hold jobs, become a secret agent, earn a black belt, and make friends through open chat.
A lot of merchandise was also sold, including stuffed penguins and puffles, real life games, clothes, pins, Nintendo games, and card-jitsu collector cards.
There was even a Trump protest that was held by members on the site. This was a site where kids could share their opinions and create their own world. After all these years, the legendary Ice Berg finally tipped. For people who don’t know, the iceberg is an offset of the Club Penguin island that was, according to urban legend, able to tip.
The internet sensation of Puffles, the EPF, Card-Jitsu, beloved characters, igloos, and themed parties could be argued to be the best internet game of our generation.
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