Danny Sullivan is reporting that his sons are having problems with their Club Penguin accounts after a recent upgrade. Both Penguins has changed color and lost items after a recent upgrade to the game. If they hit Edit Player, the Color, Pin & Background tab… Read More »Club Penguin Upgrade Spells Problems For Members
This is the story of how Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK) came to its end and how and why it doesn’t have to be that way.
The year is 1959. Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom of Disneyland is just about to enter its third year of operations. Disneyland has been very successful not just in attendance, but in creating a new type of community; a remaking of Main Street America in Walt’s image. Walt calls Disneyland his great experiment. He uses it to cross-promote his movies, television shows, and his growing interest in urban planning.
However, something is not quite right. The surrounding area has penned his magical kingdom in with cheap looking motels and tourist traps. Disneyland really needs to grow, add new attractions, even remake whole parts of the theme park that just aren’t working. Walt has got grand ideas, add a steel roller coaster hidden inside the Matterhorn, bring online a monorail system (even extending to Downtown Los Angeles), remake parts of Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland and even Main Street. Perhaps to open even a whole new city where urban blight will be a thing of the past.
All that will cost money, take time, and talent. Those are resources Walt could use elsewhere in his growing company. So he decides that his ‘experiment’ in 360 degree themed entertainment has been a success. But he wants those customers go enjoy one of his other projects where there is a higher margin so he can afford his future plans.
So, shocking everyone who has come to love and enjoy Disneyland, worked there, made friends there, even come to regard its wide avenues and wondrous attractions as part of Americana itself, Walt Disney decides to end his experiment and set up shop elsewhere (perhaps Florida, where he’ll have more room).
Latest: Saving Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom. 4/15/08 Update: There are a few sites out there using this unfortunate news to try and run some scams. From false petitions to copy cat sites that are pretending to rebuild VMK, please be careful and never provide any… Read More »News of Virtual Magic Kingdom’s (VMK) end brings protests and petitions
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
Read More »Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK) closing in May
The master plan is brilliant: Get folks to the parks. Then make sure they don’t forget about the parks when they return home. Along the way, a young generation will start thinking that Disney is cool again, and that’s crucial, since rival film studios are wresting the animation crown from Disney. At The Moteley Fool… Read More »A Fool in the Virtual Magic Kingdom
LaughingPlace.com has just debuted a new column by Vince Matthews "Digital Disney". As the name implies it will cover video games, mmorgs, online gaming, and more. In his first column Vince explains why Tron was not responsible for killing 2D animation (I think the Butler did it) and explores VMK, the new Disney themepark based… Read More »Digital Disney
Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom is a free MMORG for the Disney fan set. It’s in beta right now, and quite impressive visually (in other words, you need some good broadband to play around here). Unfortunately I haven’t had much time to explore or play VMK. But Zlatan has and here’s his very nice review. Btw,… Read More »Review: Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom