Neopets Cancels NFT Game and Repurposes Assets for New Mobile Game

Neopets Metaverse, a game based on the popular 1999 pet simulator, was canceled after two years of development. The team behind it is now repurposing some of its assets for a new mobile game called World of Neopets, which will not have any crypto elements.

CEO Dominic Law, who now leads Neopets independently after a buyout deal with the parent company, explained that the decision to cancel the NFT game was due to market sentiment and negative community sentiment toward crypto. Law believes that the mass market has a negative connotation of Web3 technologies, and Neopets fans are not interested in crypto.

Law’s goal as CEO is to bring back the millions of Neopets users and regain their trust. He acknowledges the sentiment against Web3 gaming and understands why the community protested the NFTs. He hopes that the release of higher-quality NFT games in the future will help reduce the stigma surrounding the industry.

Despite raising $4 million in funding from pro-crypto investors, Neopets is currently focusing on fixing the site’s fundamental issues and does not have enough resources to pursue crypto integrations. Their priority is to address bug fixes and complete a post-Adobe Flash update for over 50 classic Neopets minigames.

Neopets has experimented with NFTs in the past, launching CryptoQuest in 2018 and releasing NFTs in 2021. While the Neopets Metaverse has been canceled, Law does not rule out the possibility of blockchain technology making its way back into Neopets’ future. He believes that certain parts of Web3 technologies could bring a new game experience to their users, especially in terms of enabling player ownership.

Overall, Neopets is focusing on fixing the site and meeting the expectations of its dedicated fanbase before considering any further crypto integration or NFT initiatives.