| Club Penguin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Platform | Web Browser |
| Developer | New Horizon Interactive Studios |
| Publisher | Disney Online Studios (Kelowna, British Colombia, Canada) |
| ESRB rating |  Mild Cartoon Violence
|
| Genre | MMORPG |
| Date released | August 22, 2005, (Beta Testing) October 24, 2005 (Full release) |
Club Penguin is an online-based, massively multiplayer online role-playing game (abbreviated as a MMORPG) created by New Horizon Interactive in the summer of 2005. It had a public Beta Testing in August 2005, and was officially launched on October 24, 2005. It involves a virtual world, where the players are penguins, and is featuring a large range of minigames and other online activities, and is based on a snowy island, after which the game is named. Club Penguin has been noted as sharing similarities with other popular browser-based online environments such as RuneScape and Habbo Hotel, such as the use of an in-game currency to purchase virtual items and pets, named "puffles". The game is specifically designed for players within the ages of 6-14, thus child safety is a vital responsibility of the game's developers. The game was founded by Lance Priebe, and co-founded by Lane Merrifield, and Dave Krysko. It is now estimated that over 150 million people worldwide play the game, which was originally built on a Smart Fox Server.