Neopets, the iconic virtual pet website from 1999, has celebrated its 24th anniversary with new updates, brand activations, exclusive merch, and more! Read on to learn more.
Neopets 24th Anniversary
Big Changes for the Beloved Virtual Pet Website
Neopets, the virtual pet website that a lot of you oldheads are probably familiar with, just recently celebrated its 24th anniversary. This is the first milestone reached after restructuring efforts and leadership changes back in July.
Neopets was launched way back in 1999. It didn’t take too long for the website to garner immense popularity, peaking at 35 million monthly active users in 2005, and gaining 150 million registered users globally.
Considering that Neopets is a website where you care for and spend time with your virtual pet, it was saddening to see the site struggle to keep up with current times. With new leadership and a stronger commitment to bring the game back to relevance, here are the things that are coming in the near future.
Brand Activations and Merchandise
Neopets is doing a brand activation for LA Comic-Con and the Hong Kong Fashion Walk this December. This will feature exclusive merchandise and networking opportunities planned for attendees. Fans of the franchise can also look forward to upcoming merchandise and eShop launches, including apparel, jewelry, and more.
Additionally, Neopets is doing big collaborations with the iconic board game Monopoly and the trading card company Upper Deck.
NeoPass and Game Revival
With the real-life events out of the way, Neopets is poised to provide a brand new gaming experience with the new NeoPass, a system to connect Neopets games with community-driven projects. This will launch with the highly anticipated relaunch of Island Builders in the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, with the use of Flash-emulator Ruffle, the brand team has brought back 100+ mini-games, which are bound to invoke nostalgic memories for people who’ve played them before.
New Leadership
Neopets has done some restructuring and is now being led by CEO Dominic Law and his team. With his arrival, there’s been more interest and activity from the brand. Since then, the company has been displaying its strengthened commitment to its fans with community-led initiatives like monthly AMAs with the CEO and product giveaways. These efforts have culminated in a 5-year peak in monthly active users, revenue, website ranking, and Google searches.
