Club Penguin Rewritten
{{Short description|2017 video game}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox video game online service
| name = Club Penguin Rewritten
| logo = CPRewritten.png
| type = Massively multiplayer online game
| launched = {{Start date and age|2017|2|12}}
| discontinued = {{Start date and age|2022|4|13}}
| platform = Online (Adobe Flash, HTML5 client); later standalone HTML5
| website = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412233455/https://cprewritten.net/|title=Club Penguin Rewritten website|date=April 12, 2022}}
}}
Club Penguin Rewritten was a 2017 fan server and later on a fan game based on the original game, Club Penguin. It was created by two indie developers as an alternative to the original game, which had been shut down by Disney on March 30, 2017. As a voluntary project, Rewritten had in-game items once limited to paid members in Club Penguin available to everyone in the game. After Club Penguin ceased operations, the development team for Rewritten expanded. The game was built on pre-existing Flash files and simulated older versions of the original game but was distinct through its absence of in-game purchases.
Club Penguin Rewritten was launched on February 12, 2017. The game accumulated a large online community in relation to the consequences and restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Teens and young adults who played the original game used it to host in-game events during the pandemic. As it provided escapism, Rewritten was subject to speedruns and a virtual concert for Soccer Mommy's album Color Theory. During this time, a staff member reported that the game averaged 30,000 new registered users daily. Rewritten was praised for its nostalgic environment, as well as its focus on the community and player freedom. The remake was recognized by Lance Priebe, one of the developers of Club Penguin, in which he respected the social impact the game brought during the pandemic.
The fan game was shut down on April 13, 2022, due to a full request by Disney. The website was taken over by the City of London Police in order to continue a copyright investigation. Three suspects were arrested. Prior to its shutdown, the game had accumulated over 11 million registered users.
Gameplay and development
{{See also|Club Penguin#Plot and gameplay|l1=Gameplay of Club Penguin|Club Penguin#Private servers|label 2=Club Penguin private servers}}
File:Club Penguin Rewritten example.png
Club Penguin Rewritten was an identical recreation of Club Penguin, a massively multiplayer online game developed by New Horizon Interactive and acquired by Disney in 2007.{{Cite web |last=Alter |first=Rebecca |date=April 13, 2022 |title=The Day the Puffles Cried: Disney Shuts Down Club Penguin Rewritten |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/disney-shuts-down-club-penguin-rewritten-server.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714161453/https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/disney-shuts-down-club-penguin-rewritten-server.html |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=New York}} It featured much of the same gameplay and policies, including a dedicated moderation team and a chat filtering system.{{Cite web |last=Saunders |first=Toby |date=April 1, 2020 |title=Is Club Penguin back in 2020? |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/641585-is-club-penguin-back-in-2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722172723/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/641585-is-club-penguin-back-in-2020 |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=GameRevolution}} The main attraction of the game was the absence of a paid membership, which allowed players to collect any in-game item for free.{{Cite web |last=Castello |first=Jay |date=May 5, 2022 |title=The Fandom Disney Can't Kill |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/05/club-penguin-new-disney-copyright-enforcement.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829004805/https://slate.com/culture/2022/05/club-penguin-new-disney-copyright-enforcement.html |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=Slate}} Rewritten simulated earlier versions of Club Penguin commonly labeled as "AS2" by the community.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} The New Statesman reported Rewritten{{'s}} gameplay as having fewer restrictions, older game mechanics, and servers that could support up to two million concurrent players at a time.
Rewritten was developed voluntarily by fans of the original game. It was created by two semi-anonymous developers known as Codey and Hagrid, who were EU-based students at the time of its creation. The developers had previously gained experience developing their own projects and offered Rewritten as freeware.{{Cite web |last=Manavis |first=Sarah |date=August 22, 2018 |title=A rebooted Club Penguin is giving millennials their first dose of digital nostalgia |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2018/08/rebooted-club-penguin-giving-millennials-their-first-dose-digital |access-date=September 7, 2022 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US |url-access=subscription |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902180157/https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2018/08/rebooted-club-penguin-giving-millennials-their-first-dose-digital |url-status=live }} Working without permission from Disney, one of the main goals of establishing Rewritten was to preserve the original game.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Makena |date=May 15, 2020 |title=Club Penguin Online shuts down after receiving copyright claim from Disney |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621072149/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=The Verge}}{{Cite web |last=Jiang |first=Sisi |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Club Penguin Remake Pulled By Disney, Three Arrested |url=https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-arrests-shutdown-london-p-1848794609 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621072149/https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-arrests-shutdown-london-p-1848794609 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=Kotaku}} The foundation of the game was developed by restoring the original Flash source code.{{Cite web |last=Epp |first=Julian |date=February 1, 2020 |title=The death of Club Penguin isn't the first time money killed an online community and it won't be the last |url=https://www.insider.com/club-penguin-died-disney-and-money-destroyed-a-community-2020-1 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=Insider |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111184515/https://www.insider.com/club-penguin-died-disney-and-money-destroyed-a-community-2020-1 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Puente |first=Nathaniel |date=April 18, 2022 |title=Club Penguin fansite shut down by Disney, three arrested |url=https://www.valleycentral.com/news/national-news/club-penguin-fansite-shut-down-by-disney-three-arrested/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628074322/https://www.valleycentral.com/news/national-news/club-penguin-fansite-shut-down-by-disney-three-arrested/ |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=KVEO-TV}}{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Harry |date=September 17, 2020 |title=How Club Penguin changed the internet |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Chgvsf7FJJXjv9DJhY1T0c/how-club-penguin-changed-the-internet |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=BBC Scotland |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023231913/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Chgvsf7FJJXjv9DJhY1T0c/how-club-penguin-changed-the-internet |url-status=live }} After Club Penguin shut down on March 30, 2017, Rewritten
Release and reception
Club Penguin Rewritten was launched on February 12, 2017.{{Cite web|last=Cooley|first=Marcus|date=October 29, 2017|title=Save Club Penguin: The Game We Know and Love|url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/save-club-penguin-the-game-we-know-and-love/|access-date=December 14, 2022|website=Affinity Magazine|archive-date=November 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102064051/http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/save-club-penguin-the-game-we-know-and-love/|url-status=live}} New York reported that Rewritten saw an influx of users during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it a "thriving fandom". The game consisted of teens and young adults that had played the original game, who used the remake as a way of escapism from the pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Gonzales|first=Mirella|date=April 21, 2020|title=Your Favorite Childhood Game, Club Penguin, Is Making A Comeback|url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin-rewritten/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120112317/https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin-rewritten/|archive-date=January 20, 2022|access-date=September 2, 2022|website=Study Breaks Magazine}} Rewritten leaned into its user growth by hosting virtual recreations of events such as proms and graduation ceremonies that had been cancelled as a result of the pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Brotman|first=Summer|date=October 13, 2020|title=Club Penguin In The Time Of COVID-19: Keep Calm And Waddle On|url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120040624/https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin/|archive-date=January 20, 2022|access-date=September 3, 2022|website=Study Breaks Magazine}}{{Cite web|last=Rosario|first=Alexandra|date=March 23, 2020|title=Students Flock to 'Club Penguin' Amid Coronavirus Quarantine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/club-penguin-sees-major-boost-student-users-coronavirus-quarantine-1285830/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707202029/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/author/alexandra-del-rosario/|archive-date=July 7, 2022|access-date=September 4, 2022|website=The Hollywood Reporter}} The Hollywood Reporter described the demographics of Rewritten as primarily being high school and college students. The majority of Rewritten players were based in the United States. The game reached 100,000 registered players in April and one million registered players on October 4 of the same year.
Kotaku described the game as the most popular private server, a term used to describe recreations of Club Penguin, and highlighted the game's speedrunning community.{{Cite web|last=Gach|first=Ethan|date=February 7, 2019|title=Club Penguin Speedrunner Sets New Record In Fan Remake|url=https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-speedrunner-returns-after-two-years-to-fin-1832436044|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916200208/https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-speedrunner-returns-after-two-years-to-fin-1832436044|archive-date=September 16, 2021|access-date=September 3, 2022|website=Kotaku}} The shutdown of other private servers contributed to Rewritten{{'s}} growing popularity, such as the closure of Club Penguin Online in 2020. On April 3, 2020, singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy hosted a virtual concert for her album Color Theory through the site as part of an internet trend of musical video game performances influenced by the pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Langford|first=Jackson|date=April 3, 2020|title=Soccer Mommy postpones Club Penguin gig because fans 'overloaded the servers'|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/soccer-mommy-postpones-club-penguin-gig-because-fans-overloaded-the-servers-2640255|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824074931/https://www.nme.com/news/music/soccer-mommy-postpones-club-penguin-gig-because-fans-overloaded-the-servers-2640255|archive-date=August 24, 2022|access-date=September 6, 2022|website=NME}} Allison stated that Club Penguin was "a game that everyone remembers [as] a kid", and alluded to the nostalgic desire to play the game during the pandemic: "I feel like a lot of people were also doing the same thing I was doing: logging back on when we were all stuck inside, and playing [...] just for fun."{{Cite magazine|last=Cirisano|first=Tatiana|date=July 24, 2020|title=Game On: What Travis Scott is Teaching Music Stars About the World's Biggest New (Virtual) Stage|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/travis-scott-fortnite-billboard-cover-story-interview-2020/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519163603/https://www.billboard.com/pro/travis-scott-fortnite-billboard-cover-story-interview-2020/|archive-date=May 19, 2022|access-date=September 7, 2022|magazine=Billboard}}
At an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lance Priebe, one of the developers of Club Penguin, praised Rewritten{{'s}} use of communication during the pandemic. In March 2020, a Rewritten staff member said that the game was receiving 30,000 new users every day. The developers described Rewritten{{'s}} culture as revolving around social media phenomenon such as Vine, and classic in-game trends such as "tipping the iceberg". In April 2020, Disney sent a DMCA notice to Google with concerns over the Club Penguin Rewritten domain, which they claimed infringed upon the Club Penguin trademark. A second notice was filed a month later. Google did not respond to or address Disney's request. By late 2020, Rewritten was estimated to have eight million registered users.{{Cite web|last=Maxwell|first=Andy|date=April 14, 2022|title=Police Shut 'Club Penguin Rewritten', 3 Arrested For Copyright Infringement|url=https://torrentfreak.com/police-shut-club-penguin-rewritten-3-arrested-for-copyright-infringement-220414/|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=TorrentFreak|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111184720/https://torrentfreak.com/police-shut-club-penguin-rewritten-3-arrested-for-copyright-infringement-220414/|url-status=live}}
Shutdown
On April 13, 2022, Club Penguin Rewritten was shut down by the City of London Police. The main page was replaced with a disclaimer reading that "This site has been taken over by Operation Creative, Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU)." Rewritten moderator Thorn gave a notice through the game's official Discord server, stating that the game was "shutting down effective immediately due to a full request by Disney". The game was being investigated for copyright violations after the developers had granted the police control over the website.{{Cite web|last=Kuhnke|first=Oisin|date=April 17, 2022|title=The City of London Police have arrested three people over a Club Penguin fan server|url=https://www.vg247.com/the-city-of-london-police-have-arrested-three-people-over-a-club-penguin-fan-server|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=VG247|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023225655/https://www.vg247.com/the-city-of-london-police-have-arrested-three-people-over-a-club-penguin-fan-server|url-status=live}} Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt of the PIPCU confirmed that on April 12, 2022, three suspects related to the game were arrested on "suspicion of distributing materials infringing copyright". It was reported that the suspects were released two days later to provide assistance in the copyright investigation.{{Cite web|last=Subhan|first=Ishraq|date=April 14, 2022|title=Three people arrested for Club Penguin copyright infringement|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/three-people-arrested-for-club-penguin-copyright-infringement|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=Eurogamer|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023223009/https://www.eurogamer.net/three-people-arrested-for-club-penguin-copyright-infringement|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Joseph|date=April 14, 2022|title=Cops Arrest 3 People for Running 'Club Penguin Rewritten' Beloved by Millions|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/cops-arrest-3-people-for-running-club-penguin-rewritten-beloved-by-millions/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621162332/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvn4nw/cops-arrest-3-people-for-running-club-penguin-rewritten-beloved-by-millions|archive-date=June 21, 2022|access-date=September 2, 2022|website=Vice}}
Rewritten had over 11{{nbsp}}million registered users and 140,000 members on its Discord server after its shutdown.{{Cite web|last=Silberling|first=Amanda|date=April 13, 2022|title='Club Penguin Rewritten' shut down by Disney, website seized by London police|url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/13/club-penguin-rewritten-shut-down-disney/|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=TechCrunch|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023232810/https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/13/club-penguin-rewritten-shut-down-disney/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Brown|first=Andy|date=April 14, 2022|title='Club Penguin' fan remake closed as police make three arrests|url=https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/club-penguin-fan-remake-closed-as-police-make-three-arrests-3204722|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=NME|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023223009/https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/club-penguin-fan-remake-closed-as-police-make-three-arrests-3204722|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Stokel-Walker|first=Chris|date=April 21, 2022|title=Why did Disney and the cops shut down a fan-run 'Club Penguin' site?|url=https://www.inverse.com/input/gaming/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-london-police-shutdown-arrests|access-date=December 7, 2023|website=Inverse|archive-date=November 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128183023/https://www.inverse.com/input/gaming/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-london-police-shutdown-arrests|url-status=live}} Slate reported that other private servers experienced an increase in registration afterwards, and players noted that the game had briefly included advertising in exchange for an in-game reward.{{Cite web|last=Stanton|first=Rich|date=April 14, 2022|title=UK cops seize unofficial Club Penguin site and arrest three people|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/uk-cops-seize-unofficial-club-penguin-site-and-arrest-three-people/|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=PC Gamer|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023223010/https://www.pcgamer.com/uk-cops-seize-unofficial-club-penguin-site-and-arrest-three-people/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=April 14, 2022|title=Three arrests over unofficial Club Penguin site|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-61107939|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=BBC News|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023225654/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-61107939|url-status=live}} Rewritten moderator BigChun confirmed that advertisements were placed in the game since mid-2020, as "running a game like this costs money". In response, Lane Merrifield, one of the three co-founders of Club Penguin, opined on Twitter that Disney did not understand "that controlling IP at the expense of the community will devalue it, not preserve it". Lance Priebe, another Club Penguin co-founder, praised the community Rewritten established, however expressed concerns over child safety in private servers. American streamer Ludwig Ahgren said that the shutdown was too extreme for a children's game, calling it "overkill".{{Cite web|last=Polhamus|first=Blaine|date=April 15, 2022|title=Ludwig calls Club Penguin Rewritten bust 'overkill'|url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/ludwig-calls-club-penguin-rewritten-bust-overkill|access-date=October 23, 2022|website=Dot Esports|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023225654/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/ludwig-calls-club-penguin-rewritten-bust-overkill|url-status=live}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Club Penguin}}
Category:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry
Category:Inactive massively multiplayer online games
Category:Internet properties established in 2017
Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2022
Category:Internet services shut down by a legal challenge
Category:Unauthorized video games
Category:Video games about penguins
Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Category:Video games set in the Arctic