Neopets has a cherished place in the memory of millennials who grew up on the internet. While the love for the virtual pet website has long since peaked, it remains in operation – and it appears there are now grand plans for its future. In 2023, the website was purchased from owner NetDragon Websoft, with a new collective known as World of Neopia promising to revitalise the brand, after a series of controversies and mismanagement.
Speaking to Game Developer, World of Neopia CEO Dominic Law has opened up about the team’s plans for the next quarter-century, while claiming there’s already been a major turnaround for the website. According to Law, while Neopets operated “at a loss” for a decade, World of Neopia is already seeing “spikes” in revenue and monthly average users, following the company changeover.
“Revenue-wise, viewership-wise, and engagement-wise, we’re at our seven-year peak,” Law said. Further, he claimed the website is now on track for profitability, regardless of anything World of Neopia has planned. Despite this seeming reassurance, Law is keen to properly invest and “future-proof” the brand with “new experiences” and “more upgrades” planned to “really make Neopets thrive again.”
Read: Neopets announces ‘new era’ of independence
Law pointed to RuneScape as a blueprint for anything new in Neopets – as the core audience for RuneScape remains enamoured with its classic edition, rather than the original game’s successors. In developing new content for Neopets, Law and the World of Neopia team want to remain true to the original vision of the web browser.
The immediate growth strategy appears to be augmenting what already exists, with new experiences – better mobile browser support (a much-requested feature), app versions of games, and an array of other improvements that may attract new or returning players. He also made clear that the “broken” parts of the Neopets website will be addressed, as much as possible.
When Adobe Flash Player was discontinued in 2020, several parts of the Neopets website were rendered inaccessible or broken, and while some pieces were restored with time, there are still plenty of areas that remain unusable.
As for other improvements, Law also outlined plans to improve the game’s player versus player Battledome – an arena which has been deserving of an upgrade for over a decade. Law sees particular value in enhancing the PvP potential of Neopets, and believes this could entice original Neopets players back into the fold.
Law also seemingly wants to build enough value to make licensing viable once again. As many who grew up in the early 2000s will remember, Neopets was once popular enough to be the tie-in brand for McDonald’s Happy Meals. Law wants to obtain that status once again, starting with a new Upper Deck trading card game partnership in 2024.
What’s most clear from Law’s latest interview is there are sweeping, ambitious plans for Neopets over the coming years. While change will require consistent investment and fresh ideas, it appears the future of Neopets is now more stable, and much more exciting. Stay tuned for new developments.
