Reuters: Neopets Team becoming Neostudios?

[AySz88]

I'm surprised that I haven't found a thread on this yet...

Here's an article about a $100 million expansion by Viacom/Nickelodeon towards online games. Remember that this is just a random short report by Reuters, which isn't exactly known for being precise. I'm looking for a somewhat more-credible source, like a press release or something, that'd have more details.

The meat of the article:

Nickelodeon to Spend $100M on Online Games
07.19.07

By Reuters

NEW YORK - MTV Networks' Nickelodeon will spend $100 million over the next two years to develop online games aimed at children as it seeks to tap a fast-growing part of the $30 billion industry.

...(stuff about casual gaming, new products)...

It is also expanding existing game services such as its AddictingGames Web site, which will debut a variety of casual virtual worlds, and its popular Neopets, which will be renamed as Neostudios and focus on developing online virtual worlds.

...(stuff about casual gaming, competitors)

Here's another very-vague spin by the Hollywood Reporter:

the transformation of the site Neopets.com to NeoStudios, a property centering on the creation of new online virtual world experiences.

Transformation of the staff, the section, the website, the investment, or what? >.<

Personally, this scares me a little bit, if only because I'm not sure what Neostudios is. At first I thought it might mean stuff like a Second Life version of Neopets, but it doesn't seem like they mean "virtual world" in that sense. It sounds like Neopets would become part of it or get expanded into it - but TNT seems already stretched enough as it is.

But no matter what "Neostudios" actually is, it's probably not what the old TNT staff signed up to do. If afyapardess read last week's editorial right, I'd bet that the schism between TNT and Viacom is growing.

[edit]
More detail from PC World:

Neopets will become Neostudios, which will focus on developing new virtual world gaming experiences online, while continuing to grow and evolve the existing ones. The first of these will launch at the end of 2008 with a goal to launch a new one every other year.

Sounds a little bit better...

[Q]

It sounds a little vague and garbled... but I'd venture to guess it means that instead of Neopets, inc., the company will be renamed. Hmm. Like they want to be known as 'Disney' (Neostudios) instead of 'Mickey Mouse' (Neopets)? It just sounds more all encompasing.

It's really not enough information to do anything more than guess at, it should be interesting though to see what other info crops up in the coming months.

[Teelie]

Given the recent changes: NeoCash, Premium, the site overhaul in general, it does concern me a bit that they're going to transform Neopets into something else more marketable and strategized towards earning money more directly than the current system. How far and fast they're planning to go is the question.

[Byakuya San]

Well, if this is true and it ends up turning out good, I suppose its worth a shot. On the other hand, if they're going to get rid of the pets entirely, hire a new staff, and change everything they haven't yet, then screw Viacom. *throws a kunai at whoever's behind this evil scheme*

Or it may not be true and I'm just overreacting.

[Mongrel]

On the other hand, if they're going to get rid of the pets entirely....

Customization seems like a lot of work. I don't think they'd ditch the pets after just a few months, or all that effort would have been wasted.

[Hydrangea]

From the Viacom website:

"NeoStudios: Neopets (http://www.neopets.com) will be transformed into Neostudios, which will focus on developing new virtual world gaming experiences online, while continuing to grow and evolve the existing ones. The first of these will launch at the end of 2008 with a goal to launch a new one every other year."

Soooo... does this mean that for the next year we can forget about complicated plots, site fixes, the pound opening, etc. while the staff is required to work on whatever a "virtual world gaming experience" is? I'm going to try to compose a calm, mature question to the Editorial asking if any further time or effort is going to be expended on pre-customization site content.

[Mongrel]

Well, Neopets is supposed to be a "virtual world gaming experience" itself. I guess this means they're going to branch out from just Neopets and create other "online worlds," though I'm not sure what kinds of worlds.
You know, if they don't spread themselves too thin, I could actually see this as a positive thing. Yes, that means less time will be spent on the site, but apparently too much attention is a BAD thing for Neopets. When they're focused on Neopets, they give us things like Neovision instead of working on stuff already in place. Maybe they can take their "great new ideas" and implement them in a brand-new world where the ideas would make more sense. Neopia is already bloated with too many "great ideas" that were never fully realized, because they were shunted aside in favor of the next "Oh! That's awesome-sounding" idea to come along, so we've got a lot of content that looks nice, but never got to be useful. Think of Faerie Abilities(most of which are useless), Neoschools, the mini-worlds...I know these are all old, like pre-Viacom even, but there's so much stuff in the Neopian world that is just heaped up like junk, because it never got time to shine.
What Neopets needs is a break from "innovations." It needs to be shaped and pruned and restructured. They could get rid of TDMBGPOP, or fix the pound, or put in little Dicearoo-type games, instead of the grand schemes that they keep trying out on us. If the new ideas are tested in some other sandbox, Neopets wouldn't be trying to prominently show off whatever "OMG BRAND-NEW VERSION OF A RECYCLED IDEA" they're supposed to push that month, and perhaps their focus would return to satisfying longtime members rather than trying to attract Nickelodeon watchers and Limited Too shoppers who'll sign up and wander off in three months or less.

[Teelie]

If they intend to keep Neopets as is and it doesn't do detriment to the site, then the Neostudios thing isn't as much a problem for me, but I'm skeptical it won't impact Neopets in some way. Unless they expand the existing number of employees working on the Neo brand, it will be bad.

[Kess]

If I had to guess, I would bet that there will be little to no attention to the older parts of the site, including fixing problems with items, old game glitches, or updating art on the older games, including the "multiplayer" games that tend to run themselves like plushie tycoon, the kacheekers tournaments, stockmarket or world challenge.

I think we will be seeing a lot more along the lines of 3-D arcade-style games like the river surfing game they just released.

It sounds like it will eventually lead up to a multiserver multiplayer online chat/RP/gaming world, not unlike Gaia or Puzzle Pirates or whatever Disney's Magic Kingdom online thing is called. You have your pet, you play your pet in a pets-only world, and you play games to get stuff. Might even be subscription-based. It would be cool, if they could base it, initially anyway, on the neoquest games. It would provide some nice continuity for the neopets world.

I am rolling with the changes so far. Nothing online stays the same for more than a few years. Not all change is good, but no change at all is definitely bad, especially for a website. Things that used to be innovative and new become boring quickly. If 3D gaming is where neopets is going, I'll stick around to see where it comes out. I've enjoyed most of their projects so far. Am I a lemming? Maybe. I understand that Viacom/Nickelodeon made a huge investment in the site and they want to make a return on that investment. I'm okay with that. I have a 401(k) too. I want it to make money and I realize that you can't make money in the modern world without generating some bad karma somewhere.

I would really hate to see Viacom take the programming/content/artistic talent away from neopets and focus them on non-neopets projects. I hope they wouldn't do that, and like to think that the neopets employees have some kind of contract that would prevent that from happening against their wishes. I wouldn't mind if they used neopets as a testing ground for new 3D programming and technology, even as complex as movie CGI. Although I've never really had much faith in the neopets movie, I've always assumed that if they did make one it would be CGI, and aimed at the elementary-school market.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

I suspect that there will be a lot of angst generated by this announcement.

[Rubywinged]

humm i could see it being a good thing i can see it being a bad thing. I like the idea of them starting maybe separate sites that are a 'world'. I don't want to see the 'neo universe' or something become part of the map of Neopia tho. I play here cause it's fun a few lil games and such. If I wanted to go play say WOW I'd go find something like that. So as long as they are separate I wouldn't mind. Even mildly connected wouldn't be TO bad. Meaning if you sign up for one site you sign up for all and each site offers something a bit different.

I don't know it just seems kind of a strange move for them right now to start a bunch of new sites after putting so many updates to Neopets.

However I am wondering if the name change is simply so people will connect back without going 'neopets that for KIDS'. So when they start new sites it will all connect back to a company that while related TO neopets isn't JUST neopets.


okay i know i prolly don't make to much since but I'm tired forgive.

[Kess]

I guess because "The Neopets Team" sounds kind of small and of a limited scope.
"Neostudios" sounds bigger and more creative. "studio" makes you think of artists. It makes me think of ILM or movie FX studios, which do a lot of work with 3D and new technology.

They ought to keep the TNT name for board monitors and such though.

[mogster500]

Anyone else feel like these 3D worlds kinda sound like a side thing on the site, that if it's only one world at a time that they're making every other year? It seems like it'll be most definitly not free from all the work and money they're putting into it?

[Dustin]

I really don't think they'll change the site itself. They've spent over 7 years working on the site, so I don't think they'd just give all that up. Or maybe they will, who knows. But I gotta say the new 3D game is pretty nice, and if they plan on making more stuff like this then they should go ahead and do it. Neopets, Neostudios. Two different things. Hopefully.

[stampsyne]

I asked the Editorial. Lets see if they mention it next week.

[Light]

Is it me? Or is neopets starting to bow down to consumerism?