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Lanon Wee

Neopets Set To Launch $4m Revival Campaign

Neopets is in the process of making a return. In 1999, British developers created the website which allowed users to look after virtual animals, converse and take part in games. After Viacom acquired it in 2005 for $160m (£122m), MySpace was unable to stay current and various features ceased to function. Neopets is now entering a "new era" backed by $4m of funding, with the relaunch of 50 classic games taking place on 25 July. At its most successful, the mid-2000s saw Neopets reach a user base of 25 million, comparing closely with the cult status of Tamagotchis and other digital pets. By 2017, the number of daily users had dropped to a mere 100,000, as former CEO David Lord reported. Although Neopets was a precursor to social media, fostering an exchange of dialogue before Facebook and Twitter were around, much of its platform was based on Adobe Flash. Current browsers do not provide any compatibility with Flash, and Apple's iPhones and iPads never had any support for the technology. Will the potential of additional financing and capabilities entice people to come back to their uncared-for animals? Krista, the creator of the YouTube channel Neopian Lore, is both apprehensive and excited. She states that prior announcements have not been carried out. I am most enthusiastic about the alteration of games. People in the group have long been searching for this. The feature of being able to return after a short break makes it attractive, as you can quickly play a game and then move on with your life. Neopets declared that a management buyout had transpired, rendering the website as a stand-alone entity, free from a corporate parent. Absent of any past corporate baggage, the [Neopets Team] has now been vested with the authority to determine the brand strategy for Neopets. This allows them to focus entirely on the improvement of Neopets, as communicated in a blog post. For the first time in over 10 years, the Neopets Team are now in a position to bring about positive changes that could lead to a resurgence of Neopia. This Thursday, July 20th, marks the start of a new era that will be kick-started with a brand-new homepage. In five days, fifty of the website's classic games will be revitalized, and arrangements are being made to repair "many of the most beloved games" in the future. Krista has hope that a comeback can be achieved. She states that it won't be just a collection of middle-schoolers anymore, but there will still be some younger children. Folks long for memories of the past. That's why there are so many reboots; they evoke a sense of nostalgia, providing people with a pleasant reminder of days gone by. I'm thrilled about it.

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