The Sudden Disappearance of Club Penguin Rewritten
Popular YouTube streamer Ludwig recently shared his thoughts on the sudden disappearance of Club Penguin Rewritten, as announced on the game’s website.
Club Penguin was a highly popular MMORPG that primarily catered to younger audiences. It gained immense popularity and was eventually acquired by Disney in 2007. However, after ten years, Disney decided to shut down Club Penguin and terminated all active servers.
Club Penguin Rewritten was a fan project aimed at reviving the beloved MMO even after its closure. The game saw considerable success until April 13, when Disney requested a halt to its operations due to copyright infringement.
Ludwig, in a video released shortly after the website’s shutdown, expressed his opinion on the matter.
“This is like what happens when there’s a drug bust, like when you find the biggest ketamine dealer in London,” Ludwig said after reading the PIPCU’s statement. “It’s not for a children’s game. It’s overkill, but they’ve taken them down.”
Ludwig also discussed two primary theories regarding Disney’s delayed action. The streamer suggested that the presence of banner advertisements on the website likely meant that the website staff were profiting from the service, triggering Disney’s response. Ludwig criticized Disney’s actions, stating, “Disney has this weird thing where even if they aren’t dipping their hand into their own cookie jar, no one else can.”
Furthermore, Ludwig revealed a more far-fetched theory that suggests the existence of other versions of Club Penguin Rewritten that removed all filters. In encountering one of these unauthorized revivals and subsequently shutting it down, Disney proceeded to target all other rewrites of Club Penguin.
Regardless of the reason behind the game’s removal, Ludwig asserted that both Disney’s takedown of the website and the language used by the PIPCU were overly extreme for a children’s game.