After two years of development, the Neopets Metaverse, an NFT-powered game based on the popular 1999 virtual pet simulator Neopets, has been canceled. The development team is now repurposing certain assets for a new mobile game called “World of Neopets,” which will not incorporate any cryptocurrency elements.
The decision to cancel the NFT game was largely influenced by negative market sentiment and community backlash against cryptocurrency. Neopets CEO Dominic Law noted that there is significant negative association around Web3 and crypto in the broader market. Neopets aims to win back its 150 million users, many of whom have skepticism and reservations about the technology.
Originally, the NFTs were intended to attract a younger generation of gamers, but the strategy ended up alienating players instead. Law believes that the emergence of higher-quality NFT games could help dispel some of the stigma surrounding the industry. However, he expressed that there aren’t enough quality NFT games currently available.
Despite recently raising $4 million in funding from pro-crypto investors, Neopets is currently constrained in terms of resources and is focusing on addressing fundamental issues with the platform. This includes resolving bugs and updating over 50 classic Neopets minigames that were impacted by the discontinuation of Adobe Flash technology.
While Neopets has experimented with NFTs in the past, the direction of blockchain technology in the game remains uncertain. Law mentioned that they initially thought Web3 was a good concept but did not support the “play-to-earn” philosophy associated with it. Nonetheless, he still sees potential in certain aspects of Web3 technologies for enhancing the gaming experience and enabling player ownership.
Even though the Neopets Metaverse project has been terminated, the development team remains committed to addressing community concerns and focusing on improving the platform to meet the expectations of Neopets enthusiasts.
