Club Penguin had reopened to the masses. But, as soon as it opened, it was forced to shut down.
Club penguin had garnered great popularity. Spending hours on the site, with various games such as karate, to making pizza, to the pet shop, it was a world on its own. Everyone was obsessed with this virtual world.
Club Penguin shutting down was an end to an era, the site was pulled down in 2017 by Disney. It was shutting down the website that held memories for a particular generation, where computers and the internet were relatively growing. It was a platform to express and virtually interact with people from all over the world. People sent an enormous amount of time on it, so it felt like a hole in the heart when it shut down.
Relaunch
In 2020, while the COVID pandemic started to spread, Club Penguin reportedly reopened to keep the world entertained. No, not by Disney, but by a fan of the original. They made a site in honor of the original. When No sooner had it launched, the site was crowded and overflowing with users. Users were facing issues due to a sudden surge on the platform, and the owners had to accommodate a bigger server. The sudden surge comes with people feeling a sense of nostalgia.
The nostalgia is because the site shut down in 2017. It made a comeback, the attachment to the world of penguin and the fuzzy pets resurfaced. It was allowing users to escape into this world once again, creating an escape in hard times. The various activities and events online brought back their childhood. This launch comes at a time when the students are under stress, and the pandemic taking a toll on people. This site was bringing a slight smile on the faces of many. Staying at home and going through club penguins had become the ultimate dream come true. Also, maintaining free membership while also having paid membership and on-site purchases.
Clone to shutdown
With this new site on the go, and with increasing popularity, it soon was forced to shut down. One reason was that they had created the site with no permission from Disney who had the site’s copyright—being a clone and not an original made it hard for this site to survive. Disney demanded the website to be taken down, which was adhered to by the new site. This demand by Disney also came when there were claims that the new site constructed on a lot of hate content. The site owners have since taken the site down.
Final Thoughts
The comeback of Club Penguin was something that everyone was excited about, especially during such times. Meaning, that Disney should take the hint and think of relaunching the original site, so people aren’t as tempted to move to the clones. The site still means a lot to people. If the original site does return, I am sure that it would create servers to crash, as there is sure to be an upsurge in subscribers.
