By Marleld Duran
Staff Writer
On Jan. 30, the What’s New Blog on “Club Penguin” announced that the company will discontinue the desktop and mobile game on March 29 to launch the app “Club Penguin Island.” “Club Penguin Island” will be a free mobile game, with an option to purchase membership.
Although the game’s date was released to the public at the end of January, it was previously known as Project: Super Secret until last November and began beta testing on Nov. 18 for select players.
The new platform was available for pre-registration on iOS and Android mobile devices through Feb.16 under a Disney account. The app features new penguin fashion, adventures, activities, food and entertainment for users.
“This was one of my favorite games growing up [and it] brought many great memories,” commented user Ethanyeh1 on a news post. “It’s aggravating to see it being shut down, other generations of kids should be allowed to play this.”
To honor the ending of “Club Penguin,” the company hosted a party that began on Feb. 1. It included new activities such as trivia based on the game’s history.
“Club Penguin” was released 11 years ago on Oct. 24, 2005. According to What’s New Blog the creators wanted to create a safe, interactive, and virtual world where children would be able to play and chat with one another.
In 2006 the game was launched on Miniclip, the world’s largest online game site, and quickly became the most popular game on the site. The following year “Club Penguin” partnered with the Walt Disney Company.
According to Mashable, a digital media website, it was the number one kids virtual site in 2011. It created an official newspaper called The Club Penguin Times and taught children responsibility through caring pets, known as puffles.
The annual Coins for Change event taught youth the importance of giving back because players were able to donate virtual coins to charities. These virtual coins would actually be donated to real charities.
One of the activities that the original “Club Penguin” introduced was tipping the iceberg. It was considered a rumor up until February when The Club Penguin Times announced the new feature.
When tipped, the iceberg turned into a dancefloor and included a sign that states, “Together, we can build an island, create a community, change the world… and even tip an iceberg. Waddle on.”
