Bin Weevils

Did You Know?

• Bin Weevils won the BAFTA Award for Best Website in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
• The game's publisher, 55 Pixels, filed for voluntary liquidation in December 2020.
• Bin Weevils was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2009.

Gameplay

Players created and personalised weevil-inspired avatars within a bin-themed landscape that included locations and items typical of a rubbish dustbin. Each player had a Nest where they could modify room colours and designs using items and decorations; nests could be expanded to up to eight rooms with the Mulch currency through a membership. The Shopping Mall, with Nestco as the primary retail department, offered over 18 categories of items, the Nestige Range, and a showroom, and players could sell items for Mulch. Nests included a private cinema, plaza, garden, nest generator, and Bin Bot Portal. A daily Bin Card stamping system rewarded players with item vouchers, exclusive seeds, Experience Points, Dosh, Mulch, puzzle pieces, and other benefits; completing a puzzle unlocked rare nest items. Plazas beneath the Nest housed five virtual enterprises, including a photo studio where members could decorate with props and backdrops for photography, and four nightclub party rooms. Players earned income at Cash Machines from photo frame sales and customers attracted from the Plaza Directory, and gained experience points for using a Plaza.

Membership

Bin Tycoon membership unlocked gameplay elements such as items and activities. Premium subscribers received a monthly Dosh wage that increased with each month of membership, which could be spent on hats, pet items and clothing, and exclusive items. Early SMS text payment for one month of membership was discontinued in 2013. Mulch could be bought from the subscription section until 2013, with the highest amount being £14.99 for 75,000 Mulch; after that, Dosh was the only purchasable currency. In 2015, Bin Weevils stated that 90% of content was free to play and 90% of its audience were non-paying members.

Other

Bin Weevils signed a licensing agreement with toy manufacturer Character Options to launch a merchandise range in October 2012, including a trading card game, books, clothing sets, backpacks, figurines, and toys. A magazine published by Egmont Publishing Group was announced in January 2012, featuring free in-game rewards, competitions such as 'Best Nest' hosted by Glamm and 'Great Gardens' hosted by Mudd, and was advertised on CITV and Nickelodeon. Co-founder Amelia Johnson stated that the magazine allowed the fan base to connect with the brand across multiple mediums. In December 2012, Bin Weevils partnered with Sony to release a music album titled 'Bin Tunes', which included a competition with Aardman Animations where four children produced a music video for the song 'So Much Better With Two'; the album launched on 29 July 2013 with 12 children's songs. A partnership with WellChild in November 2013 allowed users to buy a Bin Weevils T-shirt with 20% of each sale going to the charity. Bin Bots were housed in a player's Bin Bot Portal, with some placed in a microscopic world with zoom features. Players could obtain mystery Bin Bots at the Claw Machine or mix potion combinations at the Bin Bot Maker, both invented by the scientist Lab, and members could swap microscopic Bin Bots with others.

Reception

In 2015, the Advertising Standard Authority requested Bin Weevils to change the wording of its in-app advertisements, citing pressure on players to purchase items. The operator, 55 Pixels Ltd, stated that upon being made aware of the complaint, it changed all membership pages to comply, and the ASA upheld the complaint regarding the original wording while noting the compliance. In September 2014, a data breach led to unauthorized access to some accounts; Bin Weevils took the website down for a week for security maintenance and added a captcha verification. Bin Weevils displayed the kidSAFE seal and stated that chat and buddy messages were moderated 24/7 via a ticket method, with punishments ranging from one day to permanent suspension for offensive language.