Author Topic: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online  (Read 11797 times)

Xieveral

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Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« on: August 22, 2013, 09:58:54 PM »
After 10 years, Disney is pulling the plug on Toontown. This certainly doesn't bode well for our Disney TFHM efforts.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/disney-to-shutter-10-year-old-toontown-multiplayer-game.html

I never played Toontown but we know that feeling of loss all too well.

At least one community is trying to save it. Best of luck to them, they're fighting a bigger monster than NCSoft.
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Angel Phoenix77

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2013, 01:57:45 AM »
I too wish them luck, I think we all know what it is like to have a game taken away :(
One day the Phoenix will rise again.

PunkusJR

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2013, 01:58:43 AM »
I hope they succeed. I have no experience with the game, but I know some people that used to play it.
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JWBullfrog

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2013, 02:00:12 AM »
Toontown Players, /em holdtorch.
 
we know how you feel.
As long as somebody keeps making up stories for it, the City isn't gone.

Everfreefire

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2013, 11:00:10 AM »
"The changes leave the $7.95-a-month Club Penguin as the only so-called virtual world operated by Disney. The site, acquired in 2007, is the largest of its kind, according to the company, which is asking players to move there."

This sounds almost familiar...
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Kaiser Tarantula

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2013, 11:22:16 AM »
Here's hoping they can save their game.  As someone who's been through a lot of closures myself, I feel for 'em.

Ever notice it's the games that don't neatly fit the swords-and-sorcery cookie-cutter molds that tend to get the axe first?  AGES Online (alien world sci-fi lasers & magic MMOFPS, one of the first of its kind), Earth and Beyond (spaceship sci-fi), Auto Assault (car-based post-apocalyptic), Tabula Rasa (alien world guns-and-magic), Exteel (giant robot arena combat), CoH (superheroes), Dungeon Fighter Online (swords and sorcery, but a side-scrolling beat-'em-up), and now Toontown (classic cartoons).

I hardly hear anything about cookie-cutter WoW clones and Everquest clones getting closed down.

Everfreefire

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2013, 11:24:56 AM »
I hardly hear anything about cookie-cutter WoW clones and Everquest clones getting closed down.

I can't help but think that's because there are so many of them that really don't hold up to what they are copying that it never makes the news when they shut down.
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Lolliad

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2013, 11:40:36 AM »
It seems that Disney is sun setting Pirates of the Caribbean online too:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/20/disneys-pirates-of-the-caribbean-online-sunsetting-in-september/


therain93

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2013, 12:23:40 PM »
It seems that Disney is sun setting Pirates of the Caribbean online too:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/20/disneys-pirates-of-the-caribbean-online-sunsetting-in-september/
Yep, that was actually in the OP's Bloomberg article too, along with Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow getting the axe.  As someone earlier stated, it definitely doesn't suggest good things for the pitch to Disney.  It's also surprising to see 1 month's notice.  Not surprising is to see Disney Interactive's entire unit listed as taking a loss of 216m, without a breakout by games. 

Some questions, not all that can be answered, but food for thought:
Could the game support themselves in a maintenance mode? 
Do those communities have something to say?
Do we, the CoH community, have something to say? 
Do we, the community that is upset at longtime games shutting down, have something to say?
 
There was a lot of visibility and discussion when CoH went down -- perhaps because many people throughout the gaming community (including Jack) hold/held a special place in their hearts for it.  Or because of its particular circumstances of appearing to be healthy.  Does Toontown deserve this?  What happens if/when Dark Age of Camelot or Everquest are sunset?  Will it be a quiet passing?
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Thunder Glove

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2013, 01:00:49 PM »
I actually had an account on Toontown Online, and when CoH's closing was announced, I spent a few days playing it.  It wasn't anything like CoH, of course - which helped, a little bit, because there was a day or two right after the announcement when I didn't even want to think about CoH - but I still considered subscribing to it.

Maybe I'll head over there and play it a bit, one last time, since it looks like they're making everyone subscribers for the last month.

This just bums me out even more.

Edited to add: ... I hope this doesn't bode ill for Playdom games, particularly Marvel Avengers Alliance.  For all that it's a "casual" Facebook game, that's the only game I'm seriously into right now.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2013, 01:07:15 PM by Thunder Glove »

JaguarX

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2013, 01:15:52 PM »
Well guess there is lot of raving mad people that wont give Disney a single dime anymore for ever and ever now. :P.

But more seriously, dang that sucks but as said in the past, shutting down games is not an NCSOFT exclusive act. It can happen to anyone anytime any place any company and when the owner don't feel it's worth it.

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dwturducken

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2013, 01:26:50 PM »
Still on my first cuppa, but didn't Disney announce a while ago that they were getting out of directly developing video games? I thought that was part of closing LucasArts.

Anyway, I had a Pirates account, but I think I only ever logged into it when I created it. I couldn't even tell you how many years ago that was. Toontown looked interesting, and I feel for these people, having been through the same thing, here. I'm all for lending our voices, if that's the way we want to go, but I'm saving my wallet for the CoH/PlanZ efforts. :)
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Blondeshell

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2013, 02:07:08 PM »
Well guess there is lot of raving mad people that wont give Disney a single dime anymore for ever and ever now. :P.

That... could be a challenge considering how many things The Mouse has his little white gloves in.

List of assets owned by Disney

JaguarX

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2013, 03:35:13 PM »
That... could be a challenge considering how many things The Mouse has his little white gloves in.

List of assets owned by Disney
Of course but it would be interesting to see people try and see if they infact actually and willingly do that. I mean it was enough when one company shutdown a game to warrant "not giving them another dime." and the same feeling for companies that do business with them as the feeling for companies that still do business with the other other company. I figured the same rules apply for The Mouse. And should The Mouse be required to give up their rights and holdings to Toontown as expected with the other company? And is it considered an "all of a sudden" shutdown given that they announced it less than three months prior to shutdown? I think a about one month before shutdown. Thus is Disney now an "evil company" or rather "more evil" than it was in prior thought?
« Last Edit: August 23, 2013, 03:44:18 PM by JaguarX »

Dollhouse

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2013, 03:50:42 PM »
/hug Toontown community
« Last Edit: August 23, 2013, 05:20:12 PM by Dollhouse »

Thunder Glove

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #15 on: August 23, 2013, 04:16:52 PM »
Well, not that it did CoH any good, but there's a petition.

JaguarX

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #16 on: August 23, 2013, 05:21:04 PM »
Well, not that it did CoH any good, but there's a petition.

De ja vue with the petition and comments and other things.

And according to the iCNN report, they had 100,000s (plural) of players in that game at shut down notice. If Soft got flack for shutting down a game with 60,000-80,000 players, the flack for disney should be even higher.

PunkusJR

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #17 on: August 23, 2013, 06:40:16 PM »

But more seriously, dang that sucks but as said in the past, shutting down games is not an NCSOFT exclusive act. It can happen to anyone anytime any place any company and when the owner don't feel it's worth it.

This seems eerily like when you're faced with your mortality. I mean I guess it is a bit of a stretch, but I never thought City was going to end the same way a lot of kids think their life isn't going to end. o__o and I guess the same thing could be said about it: enjoy your MMO while it lasts.
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JaguarX

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #18 on: August 23, 2013, 10:28:03 PM »
This seems eerily like when you're faced with your mortality. I mean I guess it is a bit of a stretch, but I never thought City was going to end the same way a lot of kids think their life isn't going to end. o__o and I guess the same thing could be said about it: enjoy your MMO while it lasts.
Yup.

That is how I live life, like that day is my last. Even if I kick bucket tomorrow, I can sit back in the afterlife and go, "yeah, I did that." Instead of "ZOMG! I didn't do everything I wanted because I waited!"
Always enjoy MMOs like it's going to close tomorrow because there is a chance that it might.

But then again I have different view of death. To some it's worse possible thing that can happen and something to be feared greatly. To me, it's a part of life. When my number is up, I'm not resisting it and don't desire to live forever nor over stay my stay. Until then, every day may as well be my last. Might get blasted due to mistaken identity while checking the mail. Never know, but it don't keep me locked indoors. 

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Re: Disney is shutting down Toontown Online
« Reply #19 on: August 23, 2013, 11:15:36 PM »
It maybe because the trend for youth games is in the mobile space and not the PC space.  You want a game the kids can take with them on a tablet or phone so grandma and grandpa don't need to install grandchildren games on their PC.  So you need a MMO platform that's lightweight enough to run on a mobile device and I think something like Club Penguin could have a client (unless it's browser based, don't know) that'll run on those devices.
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