FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDisney Fans & Parents Worldwide Weigh In: Disney is Abandoning Long-Term Gaming Community; Disney Parents Upset that Disney Plans to End Safe Online Game for Children
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. April 14, 2008 - Disney Fans and parents worldwide are upset that The Walt Disney Internet Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company has announced plans to close down Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK), a safe online gaming community created for kids which launched in 2005. Several fan petitions have been created in response to Disney’s decision, hundreds are creating original YouTube content and thousands are rallying together to try and save VMK from closing next month.
"Disney has shunned families and children worldwide with this news," exclaimed Sandra Garcia, a Disney parent from New York City. This mother of two active VMK players goes on to reveal "it's a shame, a real shame that Disney is calling VMK nothing but a promotion. These are real children, they are not promotions but real human beings. My daughters are devastated. I am outraged with Disney over this."
Immediately after the announcement, several petitions sprung up, including one at the SaveVMKToday.com campaign web site. This particular petition has garnered over 7,500 signatures, of which 4,000 of them attained within 48 hours of the news and over 160,000 page views.
"Every VMK player is stunned by this sudden announcement," explains Josh Goldstein, a long-term VMK player. "We were even more shocked that VMK is being referred to as nothing more than a promotion," a strong sentiment that is felt among the entire VMK gaming community worldwide. "Where are we suppose to go? How do we keep in touch with our friends? There is nothing like VMK anywhere else!" exclaims Josh. The decision to close VMK effectively leaves behind over a quarter of a million players with no alternative online platform available.
ABOUT SAVE VMK TODAY CAMPAIGN: SaveVMKToday.com is a volunteer fan based campaign, created to provide Disney guests worldwide with an information portal regarding Virtual Magic Kingdom. The site offers a wealth of information and tools on contacting The Walt Disney Internet Group, including several petitions and resources, to help try and save this online gaming community from closing.
ABOUT VIRTUAL MAGIC KINGDOM: VMK is a unique online gaming destination developed by Disney Online and Sulake Corporation Oy, designed for kids between the ages of 8-14, however is open to all Disney fans worldwide. VMK launched in June 2005 to coincide with the marketing and promotional celebration of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. Just seven months after launch, Disney announced the game surpassed one million players and over 1.3 million personalized in-game rooms.
If you would like further information about VMK or the campaign efforts, please contact Nicholas at press@savevmktoday.com.
You can download our press release:
press_release.pdf (222kb)
