the (unofficial/commentated) defunct virtual pet sites/worlds/MMO(RPG)s list

opalquinze • 12 October 2023 at 7:20 AM

long title is long, but pretty much what it says (i’ll prob retitle it to something different)! not all of ‘em can be last forever, so here’s hoping some of you that look through this recognize any of these! if you’re looking for active pet sites instead, here’s an unofficial masterlist provided by @sleepycalaban (feel free to contribute to any more for ‘em to put on their list!)

keep in mind that:
- these currently listed below are ones i’ve played (so some bias is included (with a bit of browsing of any leftover info bout ‘em))
- (this list is currently getting a bit more info on more defunct ones, check back later!)
- i won’t be listing any “rewritten”/“revived”/whatever similar named ones (as i feel like those are separate on their own)



Club Penguin (2005-2017)
this virtual MMO featured players with penguin avatars and allowed everyone to traverse through an Antarctic-themed world. most players can participate in in-game live events and missions, but some areas were restricted to members only (fortunately not too many, just as an extra iirc). shut down in 2017 due to Disney stating to launch its successor, Club Penguin Island (which shut down the same year it launched).

CorePets/Corepets? (2015?)
very short lived pet site that the main gimmick was to obtain parts for your Corepet to make it have certain abilities iirc. i only played the beta while it was still online, so know that the movement was on a grid system and not many were playing when i progressed through areas. presumably shut down on the same year it launched due to lack of funding.

EekoCreature (2010?-2018)
considered to be more of a mini game within a mini game hosted by PBS Kids, you could see people online by their creatures they’ve made! you’re granted free ones to mix and match from, but others are locked behind a point system (no irl currency required). to gain more points, users have to answer trivia bout environmentalism (nothing too difficult, it’s made for kids anyways). shut down due to Adobe Player’s expiration.

Fantage (2008-2018)
an anime inspired virtual world known for its cute pixel art, where you can customize your avatar with many accessories (most of the cool looking ones were behind membership, unfortunately) and cross streets with a hoverboard. there was a education system (as this was originally made to be one at the start), but i didn’t think much of it cuz of lack of interest. heard it shut down in 2018 due to mismanagement, but other reasons may be different.

Fer.al (2019-2022)
developed by WildWorks (creator of Animal Jam), this was directed towards older audiences (mainly teens) and featured more fantastical creatures where you can customize their appearance (marking and accessory wise). backlash towards WildWorks was in 2021 due to their announcement of their NFT game called “Cinder” and users found out that Fer.al was used as a base for it. shut down in 2022 presumably due to said issue as stated.

Free Realms (2009-2014)
it was a 3D MMORPG developed by Sony Online Entertainment, which was F2P to everyone who downloaded it from the official site (or later on different platforms). unlike most MMOs at the time, combat wasn’t the main focus but rather various game mechanics! exploration, pet-raising, mini games—you name it! heard it shut down ‘round 2014 due to SOE stating to use its resources for other games.

FusionFall (2009-2013)
a MMO that used Cartoon Network characters and noticeable locations, players have to save the world from an alien invasion. first year since launch had users pay a subscription fee for access of the full storyline, so those not willing to pay could only play a portion of the story. fortunately, it became F2P in 2010. heard it shut down in 2013 due to decreased profits from being F2P for so long and lack of direction.

Kung Fu Panda World (2010-2012)
based on the franchise by Dreamworks, users can create a character and choose a fighting style: Monkey, Tiger, Panda. they can progress through belts/sashes (non-members could only get up to green #5, while members could get up to all black iirc) to unlock more mini games and decorate their avatars/homes. shut down in 2012 for unknown reasons and domain redirects to the main site.

Littlest Pet Shop Online (2009-2011)
made by Electronic Arts, it was a 2D MMO directed towards young girls that let ‘em customize their pet, chat (heavily restricted), and play mini games! many features were locked behind membership, and many players weren’t willing to pay for said features. those lucky enough to buy a plushie with an exclusive code unlocked a special accessory unavailable for F2P users (not sure if this was right, so take it with a grain of salt). seemed it got shut down after 2 years since launch for unknown reasons.

Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands (2007 (beta); 2008-2015? 2016?)
a MMORPG themed after the show Magi-Nation (aired on Kids’ WB) and starts off with you choosing one of the Moonlands (your character’s main home). main task was to gather Dream Creatures to ward off the Shadow Magi. shut down around 2015/2016 (presumably) as i recall a site post saying, “due to decreased interest of the series, Battle for the Moonlands will be shutting down, so thank you to everyone who played it during its time online!”

McWorld (2008-2014)
this was McDonald’s “virtual world” (it was interactive at best) where you could dress up your avatar (known as a “mPal”), customize your Treehouse, play games, make friends, shop for clothing/furniture, and making friends. Happy Meals came with a code that unlocked a special item in-game if one was to put it for their avatar. shut down in 2014 as it was replaced with McPlay.

Moshi Monsters (2008-2019)
it was a MMORPG directed towards a young demographic (ages 6-12) where you can play as 1 out the 6 monsters of your choosing. most stuff was locked behind a memebership as non-members could only own up to 2 “moshlings”, was limited to 1 room, and have few furniture available to purchase. popularity declined and was shut down in 2019 due to Flash no longer being supported on web browsers.

ourWorld (2008-2021)
owned by FlowPlay, this virtual world was directed towards the tween/teen demographic. main in-game currency was “Flow”, which was used to gain XP and prizes. “Flow” was collected by doing actions, like talking, dancing, eating, and playing games. mode of transportation was either walking, skating, jetpack, or hoverboard iirc. you could also have a pet that followed you that boosted either your “Flow” or coin intake, either by hatching one at your Condo’s nest area or buying one with gems. no longer playable due to Adobe Player’s expiration as most of the games hosted on there used Flash.

PetPet Park (2008-2014)
this was Neopets’ virtual world that featured you playing as a PetPet of your choice (none of these were actual PetPets that you could equip to one of your Neopets iirc). membership was optional as there were some plots were locked behind a paywall, but fortunately not too important from the main ones available to everyone. shut down back in 2014 due to it being bought by JumpStart.

PetRPG (2010?-2017)
(i’m recalling the original, not the NFT site that’s currently still up jsyk)

prob launched in 2010 (or possibly earlier), it was similar to Neopets with the pets and colors obtained by exploring or skills progressing in certain areas. some colors were obtained by using a certain “Token” (NP equivalent of a Paintbrush), while others were found/progressed through areas on the map or doing tasks in a specific area. there wasn’t much (or any) of a storyline in any of the areas iirc, so yeah. i didn’t stay for long in its early years as i heard that it later shut down in 2017 due to lack of communication between staff management (mainly the owner being inactive for many years) and users complaining on the forums bout lack of updates and features.



if anyone recognizes any of these defunct ones here, lemme hear your experiences playing ‘em! don’t see one you remember playing on this list? ping me with some info bout it and i’ll add it on here for others to read!

sleepycalaban • 12 October 2023 at 3:50 PM

It's been so long since I've heard anyone mention fantage! I miss playing that so much even though I never got into too much with the community I loved the dress up.

I also really miss moshi monsters. I never had the chance to fully experience it like I wanted to due to membership. But I did find a remake that is luckily still being updated at least for the moment. I believe they're even adding new content. Oh and for anyone curious the remake I'm playing isn't moshi monster rewritten because of drama with the creator apparently and it's no longer being updated. The one I'm on is called Moshi Monsters Online.

Fer.al was another one I played. I ended up leaving it for like a few months or a year because i didn't have a laptop and heard the news after coming back and going to install it. I recently found a discord server that got almost everything it seems and revived it. Those same people plan to make their own game as well with heavy inspo so I'm interested to see how that turns out.

This thread did just remind me of an old game that used to be tied to the facebook gaming section called Happy Pets. It apparently went down on November 12th 2021 because they had technical issues that apparently broke the game that they couldn't fix. I had forgotten about that game for years and wish I hadn't lol. It was your typical taking care of pets game but you had different rooms and could get multiple pets. There was puppies, cats, horses, and just a whole assortment of different animals in different colors. You could also dress them up and take them to the park where you could see other people's pets.

You can see some old screenshots of the game when scrolling through their facebook group photos.
https://www.facebook.com/happypetsgame/photos

opalquinze • 12 October 2023 at 4:31 PM

@sleepycalaban

man, looking at the photos from the link makes me sad cuz i would’ve enjoyed this back then

should i add Happy Pets to the list later on if that’s alright with you? i totally forgot Facebook had its own gaming thing, so looked like it had a good run ‘til its announcement of shutting down.

sleepycalaban • 12 October 2023 at 5:00 PM

That's fine with me! Another game that I just remembered, you may have also liked, was called Bitty Pets as well that had shutdown. There isn't much left of it except their kickstarter page which can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/774839531/bittypets-the-greatest-little-pet-friends-ever
You're welcome to add this to the list too!
I never fully got into Bitty Pets as it was more so something my mom played though I wish I had.

But! If you do like the Idea of bitty pets there is a game currently out called Bitty Pals which was made with inspo from bitty pets since it had shut down. They couldn't revive bitty pets because the creator didn't want to sell the game to the creator of now Bitty Pals.
I'm on Bitty Pals under the same username as on here! 😊

Edit: Forgot to add that Bitty Pets or Bitty Pals isn't as extensive in it's pet care as Happy Pets was and is more so based around dressing up your pet and decorating your habitat! The community on Bitty Pals is also really nice and tends to gift new players.

hawktalon • 3 November 2023 at 5:30 PM

I loved Foster's Big Fat Awesome House Party from Cartoon Network! You could create an imaginary friend, and play as them. I'm pretty sure you could customize their room, and you could definitely explore the world and play little games. I think it shut down before 2010.

Neurogalaxy was a pet site/avatar builder I really miss! There were pets to adopt, and I know there was something similar to Neopets Paint Brushes that could change their appearance, but I don't remember what they were called. You could also dress up three human avatars; for some reason I think they were referred to as paladins, but I might be misremembering that. I'm assuming it closed around the mid 2010s.

trekie1701 • 22 November 2023 at 9:37 AM

It's as sim game, but what about Muttz or Pine Ridge Herding? I hate to say this, but when PRH when down, I was getting picked on horrible so I'm kinda glad it went down.