Today we’ve got Poptropica Worlds, but Poptropica Original is the game where it all began over ten years ago. However, the OG Pop is on its way out.
Though we’ve made mention of the situation a few times here on the PHB, we haven’t yet discussed it on the blog in great depth. The bottom line, however, is simple: Poptropica Original was built on Flash, a technology that will no longer be supported by 2020. That’s why Worlds was created to continue the legacy on a newer technology, Unity.
The question of what will happen to Poptropica Original is best explained in this Facebook post from the Poptropica Creators, written December 2017:
Here are the main takeaways of that post:
- With the departure of Flash by the end of the year 2020, Poptropica Original as we know it is likely to be inaccessible by the arrival of 2021.
- Poptropica continues to own the intellectual property that makes up Pop Original—all the art, characters, stories, etc. They’ll be using that, along with new ideas, in their future creations, as we’ve seen from Worlds so far with islands like the remade 24 Carrot or Mythology-inspired, yet original Greek Sea Odyssey.
- It’s not just limited to islands on the web or mobile—Poptropica hopes to go where kids go, which could mean more books, comics, or something new.
So that’s that. As it’s 2018, we still have about two years to enjoy Poptropica Original: all its nearly 50 islands, tons of customization options (especially with glitching!), multiplayer functions, and more. Make the most of it and go explore, collect, and compete your heart out on this digital playground while you still can!
And where can we expect the new Poptropica Worlds to lead?
While Pop Original will still be around for as long as it’s able to stick around, expect most updates to come through on Worlds (though, oddly enough, we’re also getting March Prizes on Pop Original?). We’ll continue to keep you all posted with the latest news, both Original and Worlds, but the Creators haven’t been offering much on social media lately (and their blog hasn’t seen a new post since December).
With the recent layoffs of several high-up Poptropica Creators, a mass unfollowing of fans on Twitter, and now, this tweet from former Pop social media manager Jessica Devine (Skinny Moon), it seems things aren’t looking so good with the current management at Poptropica HQ.
In Jessica’s tweet, she links to a Verge article (link warning: some strong language used) about the “toxic culture” at another game studio that started out small, then grew so fast that it often pushed employees too hard in the race to put out new content. According to Jessica, “not all of it, but a good amount” resonates with her (and former coworker Mitch Krpata’s) experience working at Poptropica.
Whatever’s going on at Poptropica HQ right now, it’s leaving a lot of Poptropicans confused and apprehensive. Current Creators, if you are reading this, please step up your game (literally). Don’t burn yourselves out, but do give us an update here and there!
In the next two years, let’s hope that Poptropica Worlds can catch up some more with the original game, and bring us more of that Poptropica magic we’ve been in love with for so long. But we could use some more assurance from Pop HQ.
As much as we loved the original, we know it’s not going to last. But let’s build a brighter future on Worlds (and beyond, if Poptropica lives up to its statement of being a whole ecosystem). We’ve got lots of ideas. It’s not over yet.
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