Neopets: A New Frontier

Neopets has always been a metaverse, says Dominic Law, CEO of The World of Neopia. If you were born prior to the 2000’s, you’ll remember how much Neopets took the internet world by storm. By 2011, Neopets had 35M unique users, had amassed 1 trillion page views, and was responsible for compelling an entire generation of children to internet proficiency and adoption. Not only that, but Neopets was free to play (before free to play), UGC (before UGC), web3-esque (before the blockchain), and a product placement paradise containing immersive ads all the way back in 2005. The rise and fall (and hopeful rise again) of Neopets contains a treasure trove of knowledge around community management, social gaming adoption, digital identity, user generated content, and the life cycle of products and businesses. As Neopets approaches its 25 Year Anniversary, join your host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, as she speaks with Dominic about the parallels between Neopets and Roblox today, the history of multiple management teams over the course 25 years, and what Neopets is doing to rebuild a long lost IP.
00:00 - Start
01:47 - Topic Intro
04:00 - How Dominic came to run The World of Neopia
13:10 - History of Neopets (Independent, Viacom, Jumpstart, Netdragon, Management Buyout)
35:16 - Where is Neopet’s today (core demo and core products)
40:50 - Convocation in virtual pets and wellness
45:50 - Current strategy for rebuilding the brand and core user base
47:44 - Long term growth strategy
51:22 - Licensing strategy
53:50 - Wrap Up: What what is important to preserve from Neopet’s original DNA?
We’d also like to thank Nexus for making this episode possible! Nexus’s creator program in-a-box makes it easy for game devs to build and manage a world-class creator program, driving significant growth in conversion, ARPPU, retention, and LTV. To learn more, go to nexus.gg/naavik
And as always, if you enjoyed the episode, make sure to subscribe and leave a like or comment!
Who’s On:
Guest: Dominic Law
Host: Alexandra Takei: / takeit-eazy
More from Naavik
For more episodes and listening options: naavik.co/podcast
Free newsletter: naavik.co/digest
Contact us: naavik.co/contact-us
Follow Us
Website: naavik.co/
Twitter: / naavik_co
LinkedIn: / naavik-co
Sound and Video Design
Gavin Mc Cabe: www.gavinsound.net/