Welcome To NeoStudios?!?

[Bacon]

It seems we'll only have the name neopets for a while linger. In a PR document about viacom, theres a paragraph about Neopets...

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.

You can read the whole article here.

[Officer 1BDI]

That slope just keeps getting slippier....

The article doesn't really tell us much about what NeoStudios will be focusing on, but my gut instinct is, it'll be more of what we're seeing now and I don't really want that.

Incidentally, the name "NeoStudios" immediately reminded me of the rumored movie. >_>

[EofS]

The way I'm reading this is that the company Neopets Inc (or whatever) will be changed to NeoStudios, with the aim of making new websites as well as developing Neopets. Which isn't to say this won't take Neopets.com in a bad direction. But I am not reading it as saying byebye to the name/concept of Neopets. Just the company name.

[Jessi]

I can sum up mine and FMD's feelings about this with a simple conversation we just had aloud:

Me: Ever since Viacom and MTV took over... *shakes head, doesn't say anything else*
Lindsey: Yeah. I preferred it with the scientologists. At least they didn't screw up the site. Probably against their religion.

I laughed.

I hope E is right, but... meh. Oh well. I'll just continue to enjoy what part of the sites I still can *pets faerie kadoatie*

[adi_gallia]

I think E probably is right, NeoStudios sounds a bit like a company name, rather than a new name for the site.

I can't see them taking out the "pets" part of the site nane as they are always claiming it is still about the pets because they are trying to include them more (releasing clothes and making them appear on the boards and in their own module at the side).

Plus what kind of name is NeoStudios for a pet site? It sounds like a place where people sit around designing stuff and coming up with ideas, not a pet site.

[Wingsrising]

It's not really clear what the result of this is all going to be... but it doesn't sound promising.

I agree that I liked it better when Neopets was run by market researchers.

[Silverevilchao]

Oh, great. So either...

1.) Neopets gets even more screwed up

or

2.) Viacom is going to create more screwed up, money-grabbing sites like Neopets to make MORE money and take over the interweb.

Either way, we're screwed.

[nanabobo567]

This is like trying to scoop up a dead rhino with a fish net.

[Illuen]

This is like trying to scoop up a dead rhino with a fish net.

What? I hate to be rude, but that analogy has completely confounded me. I just.. don't get it.

[nanabobo567]

I was referring to trying to put all my annoyance and anger into one post would be like trying to scoop a dead rhino out of a fish tank with the kind of net you use for dead fish. In other words, I am beyond all reasoning in realizing that Neope... Er, Neostudios has gone down the toilet.

[Tom]

Meh, by the end of 2008, I doubt I'll really care, to be honest. There's little left for me on Neopets any more anyway. It actually makes me feel a little sad considering how much time I've spent on the site. *tear* Regardless, I don't like the sound of them.

[Cranberry]

The way I'm reading this is that the company Neopets Inc (or whatever) will be changed to NeoStudios, with the aim of making new websites as well as developing Neopets. Which isn't to say this won't take Neopets.com in a bad direction. But I am not reading it as saying byebye to the name/concept of Neopets. Just the company name.

That's exactly how I read it -- I really can't see them changing the Neopets.com name because they've spent so long building up the brand, so many people know the name, and they have (like adi_gallia said) been trying to get back to focusing more on the pets. It just sounds like Neopets, Inc. will have a name change and will develop more sites besides just Neo. As long as they hire new staff for that (which they should; there's no way the current Neo programmers and artists could handle multiple sites), I don't care.

[sureq]

Neostudios?

I wasted half my life at Neopets for this?

*logs onto WoW*

See Blizz supports it's customers.
(Go watch Pure Pwnage)

[dandelions]

Warcrack is better than Neopets? At least Neopets is free.

I'm waiting and seeing how this works out. I can't imagine them giving up the Neopets brand easily.

[Jessi]

*logs onto WoW*

See Blizz supports it's customers.

Um... comparing Neopets and comparing a huge MMORPG like World of Warcraft, or FFXI, or Ragnarok Online, that is P2P, is hardly a comparison at all, really.