Has Neopets been reduced to just a pay to win game?

Affiliate 1 Banner
Henrywrites

Henrywrites

VPL Top Contributor
Original poster
Bronze contributor Conversation starter
Messages
926
Reaction score
115
Points
48
I have been playing Neopets for a while now, and in my last encounter, I was trying to understand why players address the game as a "pay to win" game.

I see it as a fun part of my life. I'm just logging in to complete my daily routine, like completing certain quests and building a gallery.

I have not really seen it as a game that you play to win, but it's purely a game where you customize your favourite pets. I get it when they sell merch and all that because it is a means to raise funds for the site sustainability, but looking at Neopets as a winning game? I have a different opinion.

I mean, what does "winning" in Neopets really mean to you? I am here to read your views.
 
With the direction Neopets has been taking lately—especially with rolling out a new Monopoly game and selling it to users for $80, along with many other monetization tactics instead of focusing on new feature, it’s safe to say they’re trying to make as much money as possible.


Their increasing amount of new merchandise with reward codes, alongside the Monopoly game, only reinforces the idea that Neopets is becoming a “pay-to-win” game. Many of these items, which are sold at high prices, could instead be released as rare random items or daily drops in the Money Tree feature. However, Neopets hasn’t done that. Most of the customization/wearable items for pets are behind a paywall, meaning if you don’t pay for the subscription or purchase new wearables, you’ll have to rely on other users. Wearables shouldn’t be locked behind a paywall; they should also be accessible through the main shops. A lot of their updates are also focused on the NC Mall rather than regular site updates.



They’ve also introduced ads for paid subscribers, even though those users are supposed to be ad-free as part of the subscription. There are also various ads on the site that trigger malware warnings on users’ computers, causing some to switch to browsers like Brave or use ad-blockers just to play Neopets.



It’s starting to feel like the Viacom days when a flood of sponsored games was introduced, but this time, it’s different, they’re actually charging users a lot of money for in-game codes strictly tied to merchandise.

 
Neopet is a very interesting game and it's not only about winning, it's a game that brings out creativity in pet care. However I understand that there is introduction of premium features and that has actually created a divide between players. Those who have money to spend more have an unfair advantage which is what I detest.
 
Baw$e said:
Neopets has definitely monetized it's site more for paid users over the years, but you can still grind for free, and get cool items, pets without paying for it.
Click to expand...

"Neopets has definitely monetized it's site more than paid users over the years..." is enough sign for any players who are not ready to spend to know that they've got to just take what they see while using Neopets.
 
Henrywrites said:
"Neopets has definitely monetized it's site more than paid users over the years..." is enough sign for any players who are not ready to spend to know that they've got to just take what they see while using Neopets.
Click to expand...
Neopets has always been about the money. I remember when they had plushies in Mcdonalds. They even had/do have games that promote their sponsors too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ja sa bong
Baw$e said:
Neopets has always been about the money. I remember when they had plushies in Mcdonalds. They even had/do have games that promote their sponsors too.
Click to expand...
It wasn't all about money until after Adam and Donna sold it to Doug Dohring, who shifted Neopets into a whole different game.

Adam Powell stated that the original goal was to "keep university students entertained, and possibly make some cash from banner advertising." The site contained popular culture references, such as a Neopet that was simply a picture of entertainer Bruce Forsyth, and another that was a cartoon version of singer Macy Gray. It was more of just a hobby game in the beginning.


The user base grew by word of mouth, and by Christmas 1999, Neopets was logging 600,000 page views daily and sought investors to cover the high cost of running the site. Later in the month, American businessman Doug Dohring was introduced to the creators of the site and, along with other investors, bought a majority share in January of the following year. Neopets, Inc. was incorporated by Dohring in February 2000, and began business on 28 April. Dohring used Scientology's Org Board to manage the company. Powell and Williams were unaware of the Scientology connections until searching the employees at the newly formed company six months later but did not address this until the company hired a woman to introduce Scientology to Neopets. Powell and Williams stopped the addition of any Scientology education to Neopets and ensured such content never made it into anything site-related.
Click to expand...


They started having plushies in Mcdonalds during their Viacom era as they were under the Nickeloden umbrella. They purchased Neopets for $160 million in 2005 and owned it into 2014. Viacom really took the game to a whole new level in terms of pay to win features as the NC mall was introduced, sponsored games, merchandised, sticky advertisements and more more.

After the ownership of Viacom, Jumpstart took over in 2014 through 2023. It's been owned by World of Neopia ever since.

There's a reason why so many companies have purchased Neopets since it was launched, they see it has a huge money maker. However, I don't think it's still as profitable as it was during its prime(Viacom days).
 
Ja sa bong said:
It have always been about the money for Neopets. Although, I will admit they also give gamers value of what they are paying for. The only problem I see is them overdoing it because it's going push away a lot of people playing it.
Click to expand...

The dilemma of whether you are now playing for money or just for the fun will always be there with the way that they are making getting almost any resources with money possible. Assuming they tone it down, one can say that it is a level playing ground.
 
Henrywrites said:
The dilemma of whether you are now playing for money or just for the fun will always be there with the way that they are making getting almost any resources with money possible. Assuming they tone it down, one can say that it is a level playing ground.
Click to expand...
It's part of the reasons why Neopets is making more money than Marapets or any other pet site games. Their broad commercial footprint is a clear sign how far and better they've been in the business.
 
cpvr said:
It wasn't all about money until after Adam and Donna sold it to Doug Dohring, who shifted Neopets into a whole different game.

Adam Powell stated that the original goal was to "keep university students entertained, and possibly make some cash from banner advertising." The site contained popular culture references, such as a Neopet that was simply a picture of entertainer Bruce Forsyth, and another that was a cartoon version of singer Macy Gray. It was more of just a hobby game in the beginning.
Click to expand...
I didn't know the target audience was university students. It looks more targeted for a younger audience even during the beginning of Neopets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Henrywrites
Ja sa bong said:
It's part of the reasons why Neopets is making more money than Marapets or any other pet site games. Their broad commercial footprint is a clear sign how far and better they've been in the business.
Click to expand...
Neopets might not be making more money than Neopets. It's been said that Neopets has been operating at a loss for many years, especially up until this year.

Especially considering when they formed their new company branching off Netdragon, World of Neopia Inc., is composed of team members from both Neopets and Neopets Metaverse, including Dominic Law as CEO. It was also stated that the site had operated at a loss for over a decade and it announced that Neopets had received $4 million in investment funding in early 2023. Additional funding from the management buyout is said to equip World of Neopia, Inc. to make "meaningful changes in pursuit of a Neopian renaissance. Without the buyout. Neopets wouldn't have the money to sustain itself.

Also, Marapets current revenue structure puts them ahead of Neopets as they're not operating at a loss and haven't.
MARAPETS LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
Same for their total revenue, which was around £61,886 for the year ending October 31, 2023.

Comparing Marapets Limited's financials over the past few years shows some fluctuations:


  • 2023: Net assets of £14,389
  • 2022: Net assets of £30,000
  • 2021: Net assets of £25,000

Marapets is operating on a very small scale, financially speaking.


Lioden Ltd's financial records, as filed with Companies House, provide insight into their net assets over recent years: LIODEN LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK


  • Year ending October 31, 2021: Net assets of £25,000.
  • Year ending October 31, 2022: Net assets of £30,000.
  • Year ending October 31, 2023: Net assets of £14,389.

This progression indicates a peak in net assets during the 2022 fiscal year, followed by a decline in 2023


Both games seem to be trending in a up wards direction. but I don't believe Neopets is. They've been pushing out more merchandise and higher pay to win features, so they can possibly increase their revenue all around.

However, there's a lot of users cancelling their premium subscriptions, so their income will definately decline.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Ja sa bong
cpvr said:
Neopets might not be making more money than Neopets. It's been said that Neopets has been operating at a loss for many years, especially up until this year.

Especially considering when they formed their new company branching off Netdragon, World of Neopia Inc., is composed of team members from both Neopets and Neopets Metaverse, including Dominic Law as CEO. It was also stated that the site had operated at a loss for over a decade and it announced that Neopets had received $4 million in investment funding in early 2023. Additional funding from the management buyout is said to equip World of Neopia, Inc. to make "meaningful changes in pursuit of a Neopian renaissance. Without the buyout. Neopets wouldn't have the money to sustain itself.

Also, Marapets current revenue structure puts them ahead of Neopets as they're not operating at a loss and haven't.
MARAPETS LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
Same for their total revenue, which was around £61,886 for the year ending October 31, 2023.

Comparing Marapets Limited's financials over the past few years shows some fluctuations:


  • 2023: Net assets of £14,389
  • 2022: Net assets of £30,000
  • 2021: Net assets of £25,000

Marapets is operating on a very small scale, financially speaking.


Lioden Ltd's financial records, as filed with Companies House, provide insight into their net assets over recent years: LIODEN LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK


  • Year ending October 31, 2021: Net assets of £25,000.
  • Year ending October 31, 2022: Net assets of £30,000.
  • Year ending October 31, 2023: Net assets of £14,389.

This progression indicates a peak in net assets during the 2022 fiscal year, followed by a decline in 2023


Both games seem to be trending in a up wards direction. but I don't believe Neopets is. They've been pushing out more merchandise and higher pay to win features, so they can possibly increase their revenue all around.

However, there's a lot of users cancelling their premium subscriptions, so their income will definately decline.

Click to expand...
This is issue with users cancelling their premium subscriptions is as a result of LGBTQ stuffs. It was never a good idea initiative from them. Their revenue will dip as a result of this.
 
Neopets has financial problems and it raise some questions about its viability. The site has been running at a loss for more than a decade. Also, the controversy related to LGBTQ+ issues forced users to abandon their premium subscriptions which further affect the revenues.
 
Baw$e said:
I didn't know the target audience was university students. It looks more targeted for a younger audience even during the beginning of Neopets.
Click to expand...
The reality is that the younger ones play more games than a lot of the those above 30 as a result of having lesser responsibilities while in school as well as using gaming as a means to escape being stressed out.
 
Henrywrites said:
The reality is that the younger ones play more games than a lot of the those above 30 as a result of having lesser responsibilities while in school as well as using gaming as a means to escape being stressed out.
Click to expand...
I started playing Neopets when I was 12-14. I assumed the target audience was for young teens because of the designs of the pets. I'm 34 now, and from an outside perspective. Neopets looks geared towards a younger audience.
 
Baw$e said:
I started playing Neopets when I was 12-14. I assumed the target audience was for young teens because of the designs of the pets. I'm 34 now, and from an outside perspective. Neopets looks geared towards a younger audience.
Click to expand...

They know where they will get more money, and they are channelling their focus towards that angle. Most of the campaigns they've done recently are basically all about planning to make more money as well.
 
Top Bottom