Why the world needs a Club Penguin successor – that isn't Roblox
Club Penguin – the Disney-owned, Flash-based MMO, which ran from 2005 to 2017 – was a formative experience for a generation of children. Stephen MacDonald, who was a senior manager at Disney from 2012 to 2015, says that Club Penguin had over 300 million registered users at its peak. Read more
Club Penguin, a Disney-owned Flash-based MMO that ran from 2005 to 2017, had over 300 million registered users at its peak. However, the demise of Adobe Flash led to the shutdown of Club Penguin Island, a mobile successor, in December 2018. Stephen MacDonald, a former senior manager at Disney, believes that Roblox, the current favorite among children, is not a suitable replacement for Club Penguin's safety-focused approach.
MacDonald founded Magic Potion Games, backed by Square Enix, 1AM Gaming, 1Up Ventures, and Konvoy Ventures, with the goal of providing a spiritual successor to Club Penguin. Their new game, Imagine Island, emphasizes live moderation and age-appropriate safety features, targeting children aged 6–13. MacDonald emphasizes the importance of live moderation and safety features, citing the hundreds of live moderators who ensured content protection and prevented bad actors from infiltrating the platform.
He argues that Roblox, while successful, lacks the same level of safety as Club Penguin and should be approached with greater caution.
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