Just a few months ago, Neopets Meta CEO Dominic Law publicly promoted the concept of "play-to-earn" games in the Web3 space, stating that the beloved Neopets franchise had all the right ingredients for an NFT game. However, the game has now been abruptly canceled, with unclear reasons behind the decision.
Neopets Metaverse, a free-to-play title based on the 1999 virtual pet web simulator, was in its alpha development stage. The team had already sold over 9,000 Solana-based NFTs in multiple collections and garnered support from major sponsors, including Polygon Ventures and Avalanche's ecosystem fund.
On Monday, the Neopets Team, known as TNT, posted a blog entry explaining the closure of Neopets Metaverse and its transition to a mobile game called "World of Neopets," without any involvement of cryptocurrencies.
The new entity, World of Neopia, Inc., promises monthly updates, AMAs, and a brand ambassador program for its fans. The decision to move away from NFTs was driven by the desire to align better with the community's requests.
Neopets, now under "new brand leadership," indicates that Dominic Law is still part of the company, albeit with a title change from "Chief Metaverse Officer" to CEO. The transition to a mobile game signifies Neopets' first step towards independence in 18 years.
While the Neopets team claims they have reused assets from the canceled NFT game, some Twitter users have criticized the move as a "rugpull" scam. However, Neopets assures that they will continue supporting the Web3 community and plans to offer benefits to NFT owners, including their digital currency "NC" and digital items on the platform.
Despite previous exploration of NFT integration, including a brief NFT experiment in 2018, Neopets decided to steer away from NFTs in favor of a more community-friendly game.
The decision to cancel the Neopets Metaverse game may have been influenced by negative community reactions and criticism towards NFTs associated with the brand. Neopets seeks to prioritize its community's needs and aspirations in its future endeavors.