Poptropica the Company shuts down, staying alive on Cool Math Games

BREAKING NEWS: Poptropica, the company, is out of business.

Last month, we reported on the apparent End of Poptropica, as reported by one Poptropica ex-employee on LinkedIn, and backed up by several “looking for work” updates from other former employees on the job-focused platform. Though there still has yet to be an official announcement from Poptropica itself, the news was recently confirmed on X/Twitter by another ex-Pop Creator, Jonathan Pitcher.

We reached out to Jon, former Art Director at Poptropica and its spin-off Roblox studio Suit Up Games (which has also closed), whom we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing before. Graciously, Jon was happy to share more information surrounding the company closure. Below is our Q&A:

PHB: Has Poptropica officially closed, and will there be an official announcement? What does this mean for the future of Poptropica?

Jon: The company that made Poptropica and Suit Up Games is now closed down — Sandbox is the parent company for Poptropica & Suit Up Games. They also are for Cool Math Games and that will continue.

Poptropica will continue to live on at Cool Math Games.

PHB: Why and how has this happened?

Jon: The decline in Poptropica’s traffic made the company not able to secure clients for advertising to bring in enough revenue. Without regular paying clients for advertising the company could not continue.

PHB: Is anyone is still working on Poptropica, and if so who?

Jon: The employees at Cool Math Games have the power to keep Poptropica going. I don’t know what their plans are for new content at this stage.

PHB: How is the rest of Sandbox doing? Can they support Poptropica’s future development? Anyone else from Sandbox who can share?

Jon: The plan is for Poptropica to keep going on Cool Math Games. The employees at Cool Math Games have the latest perspective on Poptropica but let’s give them time to decide how they would like to proceed.

PHB: Anything else you can share with Poptropica fans about this situation?

Jon: As I look for a new job as an art manager and animator I’ll continue my support with Poptropica and the Poptropica Help Blog. Thanks for keeping the torch lit.

We’re super grateful to Jon for shining some light on this situation, especially while Poptropica itself continues to leave us in the dark! Speaking of whom, Jon Pitcher is currently available for hire as a director or animator, and we think he’d be an amazing asset to any company or project. Check out his animation demo reel below which showcases many of the Poptropica ad mini-games he’s worked on:

We’ve also featured some of Jon’s work here on the PHB, which are now featured on his LinkedIn page! Enjoy a look at the design process of a monster worm, Q&A about the future of Poptropica, and his Poptropica Portfolio of artwork. Thanks for the spotlights, Jon!

Last month, we also took a dive into Poptropica’s financial statements, where we found losses noted and Sandbox lumping in Pop’s finances with their other subsidiaries. Now on their page in the Companies House of the UK government, where Poptropica Limited is registered, it shows that their accounts are overdue as of 30 September 2024 — another sign that the company is not operating normally.

Meanwhile, a new filing from Sandbox International Holdings Limited dated 28 September makes note of a “slowing global spend on digital advertising” affecting their businesses, reflecting Jon’s comment that a lack of advertising clients for Poptropica affected its ability to continue.

But hey, the legacy of Poptropica lives on! Popular rising girl group KATSEYE, in response to a fan’s question on X, recently mentioned Poptropica among a list of video games they played.

Despite the closure of Poptropica the company, the game still lives on officially through Cool Math Games, though whether it will ever receive updates remains to be seen. More of the game, including its older content, can also be unofficially accessed via Flashpoint. And we the PHB aren’t going anywhere — we’ll continue to be here as a gathering space for the Poptropica fandom. See you around!

P.S. Poptropica just had its 17th birthday this past September! See how we celebrated with our community art collab here.