Neopets players are united in hating NFT collaboration

The NeopetsProtests are being held against the Neopets Metaverse NFT Project that introduces a cryptocurrency scheme to the pet creation website. Neopets’The message is simple, yet powerful: Take your NFTs from my childhood nostalgia.

Neopets JumpStart, the owner of Neopets Metaverse NFT in September caused some confusion when it announced that they were starting the project. The Neopets Metaverse account on Twitter was launched in September without apparently the core NeopetsThe team knows about it NeopetsRepresentative told a fan via Twitter DM that the project wasn’t real. One day later, however, it was cancelled. NeopetsPublished by team Q&A on the site’s Neoboards to clarify that it IsOfficial collaboration.

NeopetsTo protest this initiative, players used social media such as Facebook and intranet message boards. One NeopetsPolygon was told by player that there has been no greater community unity in a single cause. “It would be lovely to see if it weren’t so awful to see,” the player said via Twitter DM.

NeopetsFans websites have also taken a strong stance against this. NeopetsNFTs.

“From the moment of launch, Neopians took to the Neoboards and social media to denounce the project, citing complaints about NFTs in general and details specific to the Neopets Metaverse project,” Jellyneo.net posted on a redirect page on its website. “The Neopets community overwhelmingly rejects the Neopets Metaverse NFT project, and we at Jellyneo are standing in solidarity with this protest.”

The Jellyneo page lays out the community’s argument against NFTs in Neopia. For the unaware, NFT stands for non-fungible token, and it’s basically like a digital, one-of-a-kind trading card. NFTs are part of the cryptocurrency blockchain, and there’s a monetary value associated with them so they can be bought, sold, and traded. They’re often derided for being overpriced and bad for the environment. Neopets players aren’t interested in NFTs for those reasons and others; on Jellyno.net, the staff laid out a detailed list. The main argument is, naturally, that the majority of players aren’t interested in NFTs. Neopets site remains broken following the death of Adobe Flash — players would much rather see the site in working condition.

The Neopets Metaverse has been accused by community members of taking fan-made art to create NFTs.

They were not requested by any Neopets member.

If you ask any Neopian what their ideas and desires are for growing and evolving the Neopets brand and they will most likely not mention NFTs.

For years, no new events or major features have appeared in Neopia. Key Quest remains inactive. Lutari Island cannot be reached. In the past 3 years there have not been any new plots, and every year, recurring events are delayed or eliminated.

The Neopets Mobile Apps have been discontinued by two apps, while a third is still in beta testing for 17 months.

Adobe Flash ended in June 2017. It was finally discontinued in January 2021. Flash is still used to create key features in the Neopets original game, such as navigational maps and thousands of clothing assets. There are also hundreds of mini-games.

Neopets.com was in the beta design of its website layout since April 2020. There is no end in sight.

Neopets players have many things they need. But, the NFT Project isn’t one.

You don’t own your NFT Neopet — despite the Metaverse claiming it’s yours.

You don’t actually own the artwork being offered as an NFT. Neopets will continue to have copyright.

Instead you have a digitally verifiable, slip of paper, which points at a Neopets PNG image.

NeopetsA failed cryptocurrency project was also mentioned by players. Neopets CryptoQuestThe newest version was launched in 2018. They were limited-edition digital trading cards, which were available in packs of up to $65.99. The project was abandoned in under a year and the purchased cards have been removed from all online stores.

Many Neopets players said they’ve quit the gameProtest. #NoNeoNFTOrganizers are asking players to stop using the site and cancel their paid subscriptions. Neopets’ real-money currency. You can also find the hashtag #NoNeoNFTs on other social media platforms. NeopetsCommunity pages on social media and the Neopetssubreddit Players on NeopetsNFTs are being addressed on message boards, which can be used to protest them. Neopets’ Beauty Contest, which publishes player artwork on the site, with anti-NFT protest images

“We started the #NoNeoNFTs campaign at Jellyneo to spread word of the perils that the Neopets Metaverse project has faced since its announcement: the abhorrent homophobic and racist behavior from the NFT community and the unprofessional behavior from the team running the project; the threat to the Neopets site and brand; and the low quality and scammy aspects of this project in particular and other NFT projects in general,” Jellyneo webmaster Dave told Polygon via email. “Jellyneo will continue to push Neopets and JumpStart to cancel the roadmap plan announced last week, and we will continue to call out any unprofessional behavior from the Neopets Metaverse team.”

The NeopetsIn response to these backlashes, the team made several statements. The most recent, published Monday, apologized to the Neopets community for “communication or content that many considered to be disrespectful at best.” The Neopets team reiterated that the core site team is entirely separate from the Neopets Metaverse NFT project: It’s noted that the team is still working on the site’s much-needed updates.

The Neopets team also said it will no longer forbid players from posting “NFT-related entries” into the artwork contest.

Answering a comment request Neopets brand manager Stephanie Lord told Polygon that the team takes requests and feedback “very seriously.”

She went on:

We understand that our venture into NFT’s may not be for all of our players, but want to reassure you all again that their development is happening independent of the support we provide to the Neopets site. At JumpStart, we are always looking for new opportunities to drive our brands and products forward into the future and are constantly seeking new ways for players and fans to engage with us and we see NFT’s as a potential opportunity for this. We appreciate all of our players and value the time they’ve taken to share their thoughts with us.