Club Penguin

Lore & Background

Club Penguin began as a concept developed by Lance Priebe, Lane Merrifield, and Dave Krysko, who wanted a safe social-networking site for their own children. Work started in 2004, and the game was released to the public on October 24, 2005, after beta-testing. The developers financed the start-up with personal credit cards and maintained full ownership until the Walt Disney Company purchased New Horizon Interactive in August 2007 for $350.93 million, with potential bonuses of up to $350 million if growth targets were met by 2009 (those bonuses were not paid). By late 2007, Club Penguin reported over 30 million user accounts; by July 2013, that number exceeded 200 million.

Reader's Guide

Club Penguin's significance lies in its pioneering approach to creating a safe online social space for children. The game offered free memberships but generated revenue primarily through paid subscriptions, which unlocked features like virtual clothing, furniture, and in-game pets called Puffles. Child safety was a major focus, with features such as Ultimate Safe Chat (menu-based comments), filtering to prevent swearing and personal information sharing, and moderators patrolling the game. After Disney's acquisition, Club Penguin hosted parties themed around Disney properties like Marvel and Star Wars. The game shut down on March 30, 2017, replaced by Club Penguin Island, which itself was discontinued the following year. Its legacy continued through private servers, most notably Club Penguin Rewritten, which launched on February 12, 2017, and accumulated over 11 million users before being shut down on April 13, 2022, by the City of London Police following a copyright investigation request by Disney. Many other private servers were shut down around May 15, 2020, after Disney filed Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices.

Did You Know?

• Club Penguin was created by New Horizon Interactive, which was later renamed Disney Canada Inc.
• The game was designed for children aged 6 to 14, but users of any age were allowed to play.
• Club Penguin had more than 200 million registered user accounts by July 2013.
• The private server Club Penguin Rewritten was shut down by the City of London Police on April 13, 2022, at Disney's request.