The Club Penguin Times #2 – Club Penguin Closing Down
Newsflash:
Club Penguin is closing a major door in its history on March 29 2017. Many players have used the hashtag “#WithoutClubPenguin” to appreciate some of the many things which would never have been possible without our snowy island.
This is a sad edition to produce and pretty soon, The Club Penguin Times will only be fan-made here and not official in the real game. As much as I wish to stick to the new game, I must note that we have tipped the Iceberg and beneath it contains a special note, which I will share in this edition! We’ve got stories, a sad discussion, questions, articles and more!
How did we get here? How did we get from “The Big Update” in 2005 to aisles being filled with merchandise and membership sales booming to having an amazing community with an amazing team to this, a closing announcement?
Over the past few days, I’ve read how Club Penguin has helped so many people, from another staff member’s perspective to a player who was diagnosed with autism to so many more. The game hasn’t helped me directly (except for giving me something to use in presentations) but it has in so many ways but ways which are so hard to convey with a keyboard. It’s interesting though because I doubt I would really be interested in a keyboard if it wasn’t for Club Penguin.
As much as I would love to focus on the memories and what the game has done for me in this article, I can’t. As a blogger, it’s hard to describe the feeling when you know what you want to say but just can’t get it out. But have no doubt, this game does mean so much to me. Instead, I’d like to say that this is a major change in Club Penguin’s history. I am sad, even though I knew I predicted the game wouldn’t last until April.
This is very brief because there’s so much I want to say in the future (and I will), but now we must move on from the vine which we’re currently holding on to. Jump like Experimental Penguins to Penguin Chat, to Club Penguin and now to Club Penguin Island. Because staying on that vine is safe but there’s more too it. There’s more on this journey. And if you fall off, then the Club Penguin franchise really is over.
Billybob talked about how Club Penguin is never about standing still, it’s always part of the journey. This is the next part of a long journey, a journey that has lasted 18 years.
Many penguins are unable to move to Club Penguin Island and from what we’ve heard, The Penguin Band appears to be some of them! That leaves a pretty cool stage empty but fear not, you could be the band!
“One of my friends just decided to join a dozen other penguins on the Stage. There were lights, fire and confetti!”, said one penguin. “I saw a mixture of drums, keytars and guitars. Whilst I think it is a shame that The Penguin Band cannot play on this beautiful set, it’s awesome that we can”.
No doubt the biggest news is the announcement of Club Penguin closing, with an enormous spike in traffic with YouTubers making final videos on the island and protesters complaining about the decision. However, there’s also a bit of other news we’ve posted throughout the week:
News:
- Club Penguin Island: DISNEY SHOP OUTFITS! (Paid?)
- In-App Purchases in Club Penguin Island?
- Change your Name in Club Penguin Island?
- Exclusive, Special & Reset Club Penguin Island Items
- Club Penguin Island App Update & More
- Jet Pack Guy Flying to Club Penguin Island?
- Unreleased Club Penguin Island Items
Other:
- Chris Gliddon’s Powerful Post
- Glitch: Sea Caves at Different Angles
- Win a Physical Club Penguin Badge!
Admittedly, many bloggers have been relaxed on news and are planning to talk about Club Penguin closing. I am one of the people who has a lot planned before the game truly ends on March 29th and I request you read back frequently to find out what that is!
Q. What are your priorities for Club Penguin Island?
-Joemcq
A. That’s a great question! There are two things which I would really like to see prioritised in Club Penguin Island.
The first of those are safety features. I think many of us who have played have seen inappropriate penguin names or due to the new filter, inappropriate chat from advertising to rude things that simply shouldn’t be on our island.
I don’t believe that the answer lies in making things more restrictive, though an Ultimate Safe Chat where you can only use and see the quick chat phrases is a necessity. That would eventually just lead to a filter like the one we have now but I would like to see that automatic filter removed when choosing a penguin name.
Instead, I’d prefer if we knew when a moderator dealt with our report to give us and parents a peace of mind. It could be as easy as a thank you at the top of your screen but when a moderator review your report, we ought to know!
My second priority is puffles because truthfully, they’re the face of the Club Penguin franchise. They should not be edited or changed whatsoever like the mascots have. I think they should remain cute and instantly recognisable, even to those who aren’t a fan like you and I.
Q. How did you think of the name, “Club Penguin Mountains”?
-FriendJad
Thanks for sending in your question! This is something which I have discussed on the “About“ page in detail, but I’ll quickly summarise it now.
Formerly this blog was known as “Club Penguin Torres 126” but I just didn’t like that name. Its domain was too long and it just didn’t look right. It was nighttime and I was in bed in South Africa and decided that I wanted it to be “Club Penguin *noun*”. I’m not sure how I thought of “Mountains”, but the domain was available and I liked it so I just worked from there.
Q. Do you think Club Penguin Island can bring back the heyday activity of original Club Penguin?
-Tech70
A. Club Penguin Island reaching a peak of over a million users at once is something I just can’t imagine unfortunately. As for the accounts, I really don’t see how they can get over 300 million users again.
That being said, I do think that it will be successful enough to press on for years to come. I feel like it has lots of potential but that potential really needs to be fulfilled. The game is starting from scratch and the team can’t assume that just because they ran a game for 11 years that this will be successful.
It’s pretty hard to answer this question at such early stages, particularly when the game’s prediction was so inaccurate that they even added another country to geo-beta. However, I’ve got hope, particularly if we see some good advertising to attract old and new players! But hey, if my teacher has pre-registered, there’s a lot of hope!
Poll:
Last weeks poll was “What would you want to see more of in the new game?” and the results are in!
- More features/things to do (50%)
- More areas (20%)
- More quests/adventures (15%)
- More levels with things to unlock (15%)
Depends entirely on the cost.
— RocketSnail (@rocketsnail) January 30, 2017
This week’s poll is on the future of Club Penguin. Many players have been asking one of the original three founders, Lance Priebe/Rocketsnail, if he could purchase the game and he has said it depends on the cost.
My question for you is do you think that there’s a future for official desktop Club Penguin after March 29th?
As much as I would love to say “yes” to this question, I personally don’t think that there is, but that’s why I wish to hear from you!
Art:
Edek2012 made this epic “Club Penguin Mountains” logo. Thank you!
Puzzle:
This image from Saraapril is this week’s puzzle! See if you can find 12 construction penguins with hard hats on!
Conclusion:
Please leave this page knowing this:
Together we can build an island, make a community, change the world…and even tip an iceberg. Waddle on.
-Torres 126