After five years of independent operation, Club Penguin Rewritten has been closed at the request of Disney. The fan remake of the once popular children’s MMO is under investigation by the City of London Police.
The original Club Penguin was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Disney Canada in 2005. For many fans of MMOs like World of Warcraft, club Penguin it was their introduction to online gaming, bringing young gamers into a wholesome, joyful world of RPGs.
The game enjoyed continued success for over a decade before it Disney will cease operations in March 2017, eventually replacing the MMO with a mobile version titled Club Penguin Island. After only a year of operation, Club Penguin Island would also be discontinued by Disney in September 2018.
Club Penguin Rewritten was a fan remake of the original Club Penguin game and was released in 2017. Since its release, the game has continued to receive new content and development. Announced via the official Discord server of Club Penguin Rewrittennow titled “Rewritten”, server administrator Thorn stated that CPRewritten would be shut down effective immediately.
The closure is due to a request from Disney, and the game’s official website has been turned over to authorities in the wake of this announcement. Attempts to access the website are met with a tip from the City of London Police. The domain is being investigated by the Intellectual Property Crimes Unit.
Internet fans are expressing their disappointment and sadness at the closure of Club Penguin Rewritten. With over 10 million accounts created, today’s announcement is sure to be a pain for many fans.
Club Penguin Rewritten in many ways expanded and continued the development of Club Penguin in the absence of Disney. The fan remake even hosted a virtual concert by singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy to promote her Color Theory album in 2020.
However, Club Penguin clones are no strangers to Disney recalls. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Disney came knocking on the door.