Latest: Saving Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom – 4.15.08
May 21st, 2008 will mark the end of one very cool MMO game brought to you by Disney Online. Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom is wrapping up play and urging its players to join in on one of Disney’s other offerings. The only hitch, those games require pay-for-play to get full functionality.
Needless to say this is causing an uproar among the games fans who have invested time and effort in building their characters, rooms, and friends in VMK. VMKMagic.com has started a petition to save the game.
I’ve included the full notice of closure and faq from VMK’s newsletter below the cut
Speaking of things lasting forever, recently several of you have been asking about how much longer VMK will last. Well today I have some news about our future.
As many of you know, Virtual Magic Kingdom was created and launched back in 2005 as part of the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration. VMK exceeded expectations in terms of performance, and as a result we extended the promotion (that is, VMK, the game) well beyond the 50th Celebration.
Eventually though, all promotions must come to an end, so I’m announcing today that on May 21, 2008, VMK will open our virtual gates for the last time. You read that right: VMK was never intended to last forever – we’ll close the game for good at the end of day on May 21st, 2008.
This is not an April Fool’s joke.
Now we understand this news may be upsetting to you but let me explain. Again, VMK was launched as part of Disneyland’s 50th Celebration in 2005 and the game has lived well beyond the originally intended time it was planned to run.
Over time you’ve seen our in-Park presence and other parts of VMK go away. You may remember our V.I.P Tours at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, or our in-Park Quest. We didn’t stop doing those things because we don’t love the game or our Guests, but because the time to run those promotions ended.
At Disney we’re still committed to building communities and online virtual worlds – and we’re looking forward to providing you the opportunity to enjoy other exciting new experiences.
Don’t look at VMK ending as a bad thing – think of it as a new beginning, a chance to explore something fresh and new! Think of it like school: You don’t want to leave your old friends, but still, the time has come to graduate and move onto another great adventure.
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.
In the meantime, VMK will run like it always has, with great events and new items every week until we close – we might even fit in one or two more surprises along the way (of the virtual item kind).
So what’s going to happen to the VMK Staff when VMK closes? Well, we’re all moving onto other projects here at Disney and positively looking ahead to the future. Me and a few other team members have already moved to other projects (but are still making sure VMK is running smoothly until it closes).
I know that this is sad news for you, but we’re all thankful we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the game for as long as we did. Just know there are even cooler things on the horizon ahead, for you as players and for us as game creators. So as my good friend Captain Jack Sparrow would say…
“Bring me that horizon!”
-Yavn
Questions? We’ve prepared this Q&A:
Why is this happening? Why are you closing Virtual Magic Kingdom?
As Yavn mentioned in the Newsletter, VMK was created and launched as part of a promotion to celebrate Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary.
The game/promotion has ran well beyond the original time it was intended to.
When is the last time I can play?
The game will close at 10:00PM PST, Wednesday, May 21st, 2008.
Will I still be able to buy cards and pins in the Parks?
Yes, you can still buy VMK Cards and Pins at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Parks while supplies last but after May 21st, 2008 the codes will no longer work in the game.
What will happen to the game and the website?
The website will remain up for a few weeks to let people know what has happened, but you will not be able to log into the game after May 21th, 2008.
What will happen to all my virtual stuff in VMK?
Since the virtual items live only in VMK, you won’t be able to access your VMK items or take them with you to another Disney Online Virtual World.
I WANT VMK TO COME BACK. I MISS THIS GAME AND I THINK IT WAS UNFAIR OF DISNEY TO CREATE A PROMOTIONAL GAME AND THEN TAKE IT OFF AFTER A FEW YEARS. DOESN’T DISNEY CARE ABOUT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES? I GUESS NOT SINCE THEY CLOSED DOWN THE BEST GAME THEY EVER HAD OR EVER WILL HAVE. :( THANKS A LOT DISNEY. YOU MADE ME ANGRY AND SAD. DISNEY IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE KIDS DREAMS COME TRUE. WELL NOT MINE
I couldnt agree more, Year of a million kids destroyed, i spent money on disney stuff to get codes for my 2 children, and now you close it? what is wrong with that, i think its HORRIBLE, sure, a promotion, but were talking 3 YEARS, a whole 3 YEARS. People spent all there time on that game to make friends and make rooms that people enjoy, and if your gonna take that away from kids, thats disneys loss. I highly doubt tha Walt Disney would want this, he would keep it running, and if not even make it a pay to play so that people ACTUALLY STILL GET TO PLAY THE GAME. Thanks for Destroying.
i miss this thing they need to put it back on there.i need it back.i had so many friends.
i know you guys have to pay to keep vmk open disney land staff but you guys made good income on people buying codes for pins and other fruniture so i faail to see why it needed to be closed as far as i know that was the best thing disney had but do to its closing i am not going to disney land every and will just saty with knotts and six flags instead
disney needs to reopen vmk cause this is the worst thing they have every done
omg! i cant believe they closed vmk. i loveeddd that game. i worked so hard for my sorcerers hat and my princess hats. and all my cowboy stuff. i even had like super rare items. i think they should re-open it. i know lots of people loved that website, and i think disney is stupid for closeing it
OMG! i totalyy agree! its been awhile since VMK has been closed but still im miss it soooooo mcuh. i had 120 friends on there that i had to leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve heard rumors of it reopening and i honestlyy hope it does!!!!!!!!!!! I miss it A TON!
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How could anyone do that to any little kids? Are the hearts at disney that cold and cruel? I had played vmk for a long period of time. I stopped soon and hadn’t played in awhile. I wanted to come back and found out it was closed! I clenched my fists so tight and my face was burning up. Is it a valid reason to close fiscal reasons? yes well the disney workers are suppose to be creative so find a way to have the same amount of funand for the company to make money off of it. Well listen here if disney is suppose to be a land of magic where children and adults can have fun without a care in the world they are obviously hiring the wrong people over there. If money was the problem then put advertisments onto the sites! It is the most popular sites for children, and people will pay much money for thousands maybe even millions of kids to read them. The arogance and ignorance of the modern disney disgusts me!
Why did they close VMK? There was no real point and it was so much fun. Even though it has been nearly a year scince closing i am still kinda pissed. This was my escape from my home life where i had to deal with bullies and having no friends. At least i had friends in vmk and now disney has taken them away too. Please reopen VMK!
wow. i have not played VMK since about May 18th. I kind of forgot about it but now i really want to play it. I am happy that i never bought any codes for any of these and that i just got lucky with online codes and really good friends who gave me rare items. I played for two years all the time. I had such a great time and it was a way for me to relax and talk to my other friends. I understand what they are saying but please, come on. Disney can’t afford to keep a wide spread popular game running but can keep a penguin game going. oh please.
i am very sad about vmk i loved that site my friend introduced that to me when i was at her house soo 1 day i walked into my computer room got on the computer and got on the vmk website i droped my jaw when i saw the news i was soooooooo shocked i actually cried!!! i was so sad i cant belive they did that i was so shocked anyway i ran up to my dad and had told him what happend he was shocked to he thought that was a cool place for kids now i am still looking for a new website that is exactly like vmk well that was a bad choce because i guess people think they are smart now and think they can make us pay for it to buy like clothes and everything!!! Including club penguin now people dont get mad at me for this but it is just a complate and total scam!i will never forget vmk and i hope it comes back very soon and it is just the way it was and you will still not have to pay please come back vmk er all miss you alot hope to see you again :)