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[fantasymooma]

Don't miss this important message from Yavn about the future of VMK.

I hope you're enjoying our Topsy Turvy ToonTown month. We've got more cool events on the way including chances to win 14-day unlimited trial memberships to ToonTown Online!
 
Topsy Turvy ToonTown month won't last forever – so get to building some Topsy Turvy Guest Rooms, Game Rooms and Quests!
Speaking of things lasting forever, recently several of you have been asking about how much longer VMK will last. Well today I have some news about our future.
As many of you know, Virtual Magic Kingdom was created and launched back in 2005 as part of the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration. VMK exceeded expectations in terms of performance, and as a result we extended the promotion (that is, VMK, the game) well beyond the 50th Celebration.
Eventually though, all promotions must come to an end, so I'm announcing today that on May 21, 2008, VMK will open our virtual gates for the last time. You read that right: VMK was never intended to last forever  we'll close the game for good at the end of day on May 21st, 2008.
This is not an April Fool's joke.
Now we understand this news may be upsetting to you but let me explain. Again, VMK was launched as part of Disneyland's 50th Celebration in 2005 and the game has lived well beyond the originally intended time it was planned to run.
Over time you've seen our in-Park presence and other parts of VMK go away. You may remember our V.I.P Tours at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, or our in-Park Quest. We didn't stop doing those things because we don't love the game or our Guests, but because the time to run those promotions ended.
At Disney we're still committed to building communities and online virtual worlds  and we're looking forward to providing you the opportunity to enjoy other exciting new experiences.
Don't look at VMK ending as a bad thing  think of it as a new beginning, a chance to explore something fresh and new! Think of it like school: You don't want to leave your old friends, but still, the time has come to graduate and move onto another great adventure.
In the time since we've launched VMK, we've seen many players come and go, and we're hoping you will graduate from VMK too  in particular, to games like Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Disney's ToonTown Online, Club Penguin and the upcoming Fairies and Cars online virtual worlds. We think you'll find you enjoy those just as much as VMK – if not more.
 
Live the Legend! Play Pirates of the Caribbean Online!
In the meantime, VMK will run like it always has, with great events and new items every week until we close  we might even fit in one or two more surprises along the way (of the virtual item kind).
So what's going to happen to the VMK Staff when VMK closes? Well, we're all moving onto other projects here at Disney and positively looking ahead to the future. Me and a few other team members have already moved to other projects (but are still making sure VMK is running smoothly until it closes).
I know that this is sad news for you, but we're all thankful we've had the opportunity to enjoy the game for as long as we did. Just know there are even cooler things on the horizon ahead, for you as players and for us as game creators. So as my good friend Captain Jack Sparrow would say...
"Bring me that horizon!"
-Yavn

Questions? We've prepared this Q&A:

Why is this happening? Why are you closing Virtual Magic Kingdom?
As Yavn mentioned in the Newsletter, VMK was created and launched as part of a promotion to celebrate Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.
The game/promotion has ran well beyond the original time it was intended to.
When is the last time I can play?
The game will close at 10:00PM PST, Wednesday, May 21st, 2008.
Will I still be able to buy cards and pins in the Parks?
Yes, you can still buy VMK Cards and Pins at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Parks while supplies last but after May 21st, 2008 the codes will no longer work in the game.
What will happen to the game and the website?
The website will remain up for a few weeks to let people know what has happened, but you will not be able to log into the game after May 21th, 2008.
What will happen to all my virtual stuff in VMK?
Since the virtual items live only in VMK, you won't be able to access your VMK items or take them with you to another Disney Online Virtual World.

[gshawen]

We finally start to get some rare items and now they close. What a joke, Kings Island here I come this summer!

[fantasymooma]

I just started making some great friends on VMK and now it's closing.   I LOVE playing VMK. 

 

[Happy]

Don't miss this important message from Yavn about the future of VMK.
(cut...)
VMK exceeded expectations in terms of performance , and as a result we extended the promotion (that is, VMK, the game) well beyond the 50th Celebration.

(cut...)

I know I popped a crown out of my mouth last night...Did I read this right? 
They have something that is a success and now it is closing? 

Well, I guess I won't be spending any money on pin sets when I get to WDW on Wednesday.

[Happy]

I just started making some great friends on VMK and now it's closing.   I LOVE playing VMK. 

 

 

[Kаsiks]

VMK is/was such a great way for me to speak in English (I dont speak so much on the boards of the other games I play, people are not as cool than VMK people ) I think I am going to screenshot everything before we wont be able to get on anymore.

[fantasymooma]

Don't miss this important message from Yavn about the future of VMK.
(cut...)
VMK exceeded expectations in terms of performance , and as a result we extended the promotion (that is, VMK, the game) well beyond the 50th Celebration.

(cut...)

I know I popped a crown out of my mouth last night...Did I read this right? 
They have something that is a success and now it is closing? 



Well, I guess I won't be spending any money on pin sets when I get to WDW on Wednesday.

I guess they weren't making as much money as people paying Monthly for POTC, CP, and TT.

Guess our Money for DVD's and Pins weren't enough. 

I just started making some great friends on VMK and now it's closing.   I LOVE playing VMK. 

 

 

 

[BooLani]

Rant part I shall leave out because it'll only get me worked up, I'm just glad that I could be a cheerleader for my friends that slogged their guts out on that blackheart quest, I may not have finished it myself but I had fun chanting on my friends and consoling when pirates didn't work out in a round or two. I'm sad that my gray crate obsession shall cease to be neccessary... no more silly well rooms made out of crates that look like they'd been half demolished and filled with seasonal items TikiDawn, Ought and the others (and my squishy) funding my sad sad obsession with making them. sad that I sat while I couldn't sleep and won 22 sparrow suits and only traded one for stuff but glad that I got to watch 20 friends get that warm and fuzzy.. and somewhat grog smelly feeling from having them.

sad that the place that forged a friendship between Fee and I shall cease to exist, but a game going wont take away our memories and just means that I have more time in the mornings to bug My sweet fee on Yahoo until our visa comes through (and Cough... Yavn you are soo un-invited to the wedding!!!... Cough)

VMK was the place that I made a great deal of friends, some of us went onto play pirates and second life but we always went back on VMK regularly for parties, to build silly things and just to have some silly fun. Sad that the main place we could all interact together on one medium is going to close.

A few of us talked on another site about how even though we dont all play the same games at the same times we were still tight-knitt pals whatever game we played.

But Yavn you can close your game and end it but you will never end our friendships that were made in the game!

Hugs to you all, and each and every one of us shall treasure those moments we had with friends and those random acts of kindness that were shown to us. Remember VMK was a product, it was the players that made it a game and a special warming community  


And as a side note, would it have been that hard to hand on the vmk torch to someone else in Disney? even make it a partially pay game, same format just make it slightly easier to earn credits for paid members... NPC's give slightly more etc. Anyway no point sending that idea off to the black hole. I doubt it would get read

[laurabearz]

Cry

[Astro]

I am beyond words.  So very sad.              VMK.

I love you all my friends.     

Please keep this Board alive Decoy.   

[Donalds1fan]

I just read this a little while ago myself (I have class until 10pm Mondays followed by an hour commute home). I shouldn't be surprised, but it still feels like a punch to the gut. I won't even be around on closing day or week; I'll be in WDW of all places.

What a terrible day this turned out to be. 

[thealienstitch]

Words cannot describe what I am thinking on this, how disappointed I am in Disney as a company. They are bringing to an end something that brought a lot of joy to people of all ages just like Walt's Dream,  and now they are closing it down. I am a happy go lucky person, and I love helping others. However right now I only want to say one thing about Disney.......You truly are clueless. Yavn please bend over, so I may kick you right in the Footbase!

Though I did get the best thing in all my world from VMK........My fiance Boolani, whom I would never ever have met if it was not for VMK.

So for that I am ever grateful. Good Friends...Good Times....Love you all.............................Fee

[papaduck]

The game may go, but the friends will stay.

Haven't gotten on much lately, but I'll keep on the proper level of insanity here.

I'm sure we will all find a way to keep the spirit of Peter Pan alive!!

We may grow older, but may we never grow up!!

             

             

[JEDIYODA]

Yes the news yesterday was very sad. May 21st will be even more sad   But I hope that we all keep in touch after VMK is gone.

[Mable]

Has anyone sent a message to Disney? I keep reading in other places that the VMK Hosts are encouraging players to write to the Walt Disney Internet Group instead of the VMK Contact us. Even if there is a greater possibility to not make a difference, every second spent letting them know how we feel is worth it!

http://corporate.disney.go.com/wdig/

Email: wdig.communications@dig.com

[Patchy]

It probably be better to write in ink and send it, someone has the address on some site I saw.

I have been "complaining" to somebody all night about this, as yesterday was really a bad day since I woke up for me... I knew it would end in something worse... Well, even though there is slight chance that Disney probably would bring it back because it is not making disney any money, and also they rarely go back on there word, I hope the game does come back. First off, the game was one of its kind... I heard it won some type of award at the beginning of this year, so it must have been doing something right, and besides I don't see any other theme park company making a free virtual world for it's guest (i guess) so they can experience the magic right from home. Second, what they could have done with the game, if they had the workers and money, would be amazing. I know this probably wasn't yavn's call to pull off the game, more Disney as a company, but they are going to lose out on an oppertunity that probably could have made the company better, giving back to their guests who spends thousands on a weeks vacation every year. Well, I guess we could thank all of the hackers for this, because they (probably just for they didn't win an item or w/e or doing this for fun) had to hack WDIG, hitting to close to home and WDIG is pretty much any Disney online thing, including all the guests resorts info and such, Disney would have been in bigger trouble for if that information got out...So lets thank them...

[lab_girl]

Has anyone sent a message to Disney? I keep reading in other places that the VMK Hosts are encouraging players to write to the Walt Disney Internet Group instead of the VMK Contact us. Even if there is a greater possibility to not make a difference, every second spent letting them know how we feel is worth it!
http://corporate.disney.go.com/wdig/
Email: wdig.communications@dig.com

TY Mable! Email SENT!  Now if someone finds the mail address, I will send one on paper too!!