Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:32 pm Post subject: VMK Online Game Closing
This comes from the VMK site itself:
Quote:
Please read this important announcement regarding the future of VMK.
VMK will cease to operate and close its virtual gates on May 21st, 2008 at 10PM PST.
VMK was created and launched as part of a promotion to celebrate Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. In part due to VMK's success, the game/promotion was extended, however the time has come to end the promotion. For more information, read Yavn Speaks or our FAQ.
I played a lot when it first opened, but haven't been on in years. I know there are still a ton of people out there who love the game and will be upset about this announcement. I think it was a great experiment and I hope Disney can come up with something even better in the near future!
What are your thoughts? _________________ Up or Down North, South, East, or West An Adventurer's Life is Best!
Joined: Dec 10, 2007 Posts: 707 Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject:
That's too bad! I have played a good bit over the past few years. I have enjoyed it from time to time. I played Toontown for a while, but got tired of the endless game! I just finally canceled it 3 days ago.
Oh that's really too bad. I enjoyed playing on there every so often. I liked the quests and things they had, it made you think. lol
I thought I had seen a post on there a few months ago, maybe January, about the new things they were planning for this year. Maybe it just got to be too much. I hope they try to make something new.
Hi. Well there goes my weekend. I gotta say that I really, really will miss this site. Particulary because I never got to even play the darned game! I guess it must be my antiquated system, but every time I try to get to the game itself, (the main page itself is no problem), I keep getting that redirect, round-robin thing. You know, I log in, then it says there's a problem connecting, and a split second later I have to start all over again.
Well, maybe it's for the best. After all I spend way too much time in these sites anyway, according to some people.
Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:45 am Post subject:
Quote:
Thousands Protest, Sign Petitions Over Closing Of Disney Online Game
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than 11,000 people have signed a petition to save Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) after an announcement was made that the site will be closing.
The free Disney VMK gaming site debuted in 2005 as part of an online promotion for the company's 50th anniversary. The game has continued to grow in popularity.
Currently, there are more than 15,000 players who chat and game every day, Local 6 reported.
"You can form some tight friendships in here and to lose them all, it is very sad," VMK player Brianna Gill said.
Some parents were angered over Disney's decision to close the game and have begged the company to reconsider.
"Just because it is a virtual game as far as friendship goes does not make the friendships any less real," angry parent Kenny Gill said.
"VMK was created as an online promotion," Katie Gerber of the Walt Disney Internet Group said. "It exceeded our expectations…to the point that we left it open much longer than originally anticipated. All good promotions must come to an end."
"A promotional thing is one thing but we are talking three years," Gill said.
Some well-known Disney bloggers have discussed the end of VMK in recent weeks.
"Needless to say, this is causing an uproar among the games fans who have invested time and effort in building their characters, rooms and friends in VMK," John Frost of The Disney Blog wrote earlier this month.
Disney will formally conclude its 50th promotional online game as of May 21, 2008, the savevmktoday.com site reported.
Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:46 am Post subject:
Here is the site mentioned in the article that is fighting to keep VMK open: http://www.savevmktoday.com/ _________________ Up or Down North, South, East, or West An Adventurer's Life is Best!
Joined: Dec 10, 2007 Posts: 707 Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject:
A little boy asked me last week with much distress, why, why are the closing VMK?? I told him to just march up Main Street to VMK Central and tell them what you think!!!
Joined: Apr 20, 2008 Posts: 1454 Location: Long Beach, CA
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject:
This is very sad for me. I enjoyed the game. It was kind of a vacation to Disney every day. But VMk'ers aren't giving up without a fight. Countless movies have been made, and even an Article in the OC Register here in CA made an appearance.
Joined: Nov 09, 2005 Posts: 154 Location: Kissimmee, Florida
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:33 pm Post subject:
zeppelindude wrote:
This is very sad for me. I enjoyed the game. It was kind of a vacation to Disney every day. But VMk'ers aren't giving up without a fight. Countless movies have been made, and even an Article in the OC Register here in CA made an appearance.
I was a player on WMK for a while but other projects took up a lot of my time.
I guess if I had been more of a participator it might've meant more.
I hope the fans find some other things to entertain them like always. _________________ Excellence is what matters.
By the looks of Youtube....I'm not quite sure the die hard fans are understanding the logistics of anything...while it's understable for many of the 14 and under crowd....The adults that are in their 20s and older are really not looking at this realistically and maybe have invested too much time in a virtual world that was ONLY meant as a promotion.
Server and Datacenter Space, Power and maintenance and upkeep for something like that especially when VMK was free is COSTLY AS ANYTHING....
ADULTS who are claiming that they've made REAL friendships on VMK will have no other way to keep in touch with them once VMK closed are TRULY missing the concept of TRUE FRIENDS.
A 15,000 USER BASE on VMK is NOTHING by the comparison of World Of Warcraft, The Sims, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies or any other number of MMORPGs that have regular users with PAY subscriptions.
I also wonder about the parents that have threatened to Boycott Disney because of their Children no longer being able to play VMK. Doesn't anyone encourage their kids to go outside anymore? No wonder there are so many people who are socially deficient running around.
Joined: Nov 09, 2005 Posts: 154 Location: Kissimmee, Florida
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:40 pm Post subject:
theEpiphany wrote:
I also wonder about the parents that have threatened to Boycott Disney because of their Children no longer being able to play VMK.
I don't think they have a leg to stand on. In this case, The Disney outfit had a right to do what they did. The fact they let it go on longer than intended says a lot about the fans.
Knowing kids like I do they can be very fickle in their choices. _________________ Excellence is what matters.
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