What’s old might, somewhere down the road, become new again. In the case of beloved classic Neopets, it hit the height of its popularity, dipped back down, and was spun off as a standalone property in July this year. But that’s just the start of the virtual pet renaissance, and Gamescom Asia 2023 is joining in on the celebration for its 25th-year anniversary.
The event will play host to hands-on sessions featuring reimagined classic mini-games from World of Neopets like Turmac Roll, as well as a preview of the brand-new 3D world map. Attendees can also look forward to the grand reveal of new anniversary designs and various limited-edition merchandise, obtainable through purchase or giveaways.
There’s significance in heralding its return on local soil – according to CEO Dominic Law, Singapore continues to be one of the intellectual property’s top 10 markets outside Canada and the States. The virtual pet website first launched in 1999 and has since attracted over 150 million users, with gameplay revolving around creating and caring for digital pets called Neopets, and exploring the world of Neopia.
While long past its heyday, Neopets still sees a surprising amount of traffic, with Law sharing the U.S. data for last month: 6.4 million total visits and more than 310 million total page views. It’s certainly a good start for the team, who is promising a “new era for the game” in the wake of its NFT (non-fungible token) release, which gathered overwhelmingly negative fan response.
As it turns out, the wheel is already set in motion. There’s now a new, revamped homepage for Neopets, and more than 50 games have been fixed on the classic website. Next on the list is to relaunch the Island Builders city simulator mobile game in Q1 2024, with World of Neopets, a new 3D open-world game – and mobile puzzle game Neopets: Faerie’s Hope slated for release sometime in the future.
Gamescom Asia 2023 takes place from 19 to 22 October in Singapore.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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