Dominic Law, the current CEO of Neopets, talks plans for the franchise

At San Diego Comic-Con, we spoke to Dominic Law, the current CEO of Neopets, about his plans for the franchise. Neopets, which first launched in 1999, is a virtual pet website. A place where users can care for Neopets and explore the world of Neopia. It was highly popular in the early 2000s, and now, during its 25th anniversary, it’s making a huge comeback.

The beloved virtual pet site that has captivated millions of online gamers for 25 years, celebrated its silver anniversary at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2024. From Wednesday, July 24th to Sunday, July 28th, Neopets hosted an array of fan-focused activities and exclusive merchandise at their booth. SDCC is an annual multi-genre entertainment and comic convention held in San Diego, California. It is one of the largest and most well-known events of its kind, attracting over 135,000 attendees each year.

Neopets at San Diego Comic-Con

Comic-Con attendees scored exclusive Neopets collectibles, including limited-edition Aisha and Shoyru plushes from Phat Mojo, each with a unique in-game code. The Neopets booth and UCC Distributing booth each had 500 of these coveted plushes, making them highly sought-after treasures. Other must-have merch included What’s Your Passion pins, lanyards, and NeoHoods, all with exclusive in-game codes.

Fans immersed themselves in engaging activities throughout the event. Sharing SDCC photos on social media with #NeopetsSDCC2024 entered attendees into daily drawings for Neopets prize packs. Daily photo ops with the beloved mascot Big Aisha were a huge hit. The Wheel of Excitement in Faerieland offered a chance to spin and win fantastic prizes.

The “Neopia Reimagined!” panel on Thursday, July 25th, captivated audiences as Neopets CEO Dominic Law and Upper Deck President Jason Masherah shared insights on bringing virtual characters to life. The Upper Deck booth added to the excitement with a limited-edition six-card Neopets Battledome promotional pack, featuring two SDCC-exclusive cards.

Neopets Revival

Law is spearheading an ambitious revival of Neopets, the legendary online pet simulator. Driven by its enduring popularity and his own fond memories, Law aims to revitalize the IP and bring it to a new generation of users.

“I played Neopets when I was a kid, so it was a huge part of my childhood. After moving back to Hong Kong, it allowed me to play the game and connect with my friends back in Canada. It’s a very interesting IP that I’m very fond of. Knowing that I have a chance to make a comeback and build it much bigger than it has been is something that I’m personally very passionate about.”

Nostalgia for the game has given him a soft spot for Shoyru. Shoyru is a dragon-inspired creature that was his first pet and remains his favorite to this day. Furthermore, with Law’s plans to make Neopets bigger and better. Fans can look forward to tons of exciting updates. Including a cute plush line with Fan Mojo that will be launched to the public later this year.

“We also have our EShop, where a lot of our merch will be online. We want to make it easier and more accessible for our fans around the world. Apart from the merch, we’re working with a lot of new partners to bring Neopets to life, so our users can enjoy it, not just digitally, but in a physical space also. We’re hoping, with these partners, we can turn Neopets into a transgenerational IP, which is awesome.”

Neopets has maintained its core essence for 25 years

Neopets and Tamagotchi burst onto the scene at roughly the same time, each offering a unique take on the digital pet craze. While both focused on nurturing and caring for virtual creatures, Law argues that Neopets’ enduring appeal lies in its remarkable stability. Unlike many other games and platforms that have evolved or faded away, Neopets has maintained its core essence for 25 years, captivating generations of players with its unchanging charm.

“The game never stopped. We actually kept the purity of the early internet culture. We always joke that because, there’s a lack of update, we’re able to keep that nostalgia inside our game. Coming back to Neopets is a trip down memory lane. Most people who come back can relive their childhood memories, or they can showcase their memories to their kids, or invite their kids to play Neopets in the same way they played. Also, all the game data is still there.”

Guilds have allowed fans to gather, chat, and build a kinship.

Though some users might be embarrassed by their usernames or pets’ names, the fact that you can log in to that exact memory is undeniably unique and pure. Few other games can offer such a personalized experience.

Furthermore, for those who want to get back into their old games, Law has ensured that more avenues have been opened for users to access their accounts. As long as they remember a key unique identifier, such as an email address, there’s a high probability they can locate old accounts. Beyond the virtual pets, a major part of Neopets is the community. Guilds have allowed fans to gather, chat, and build a kinship. Law assures us that these guilds are still active.

“The Guild members are actually the most active community members. We are trying to look into whether we can upgrade the system or bring new features and make the system more robust. The forums also predate Myspace, and are still the most visited parts of the site. It’s kind of how we connected back then.”

With so much coming, it’s exciting to see how Neopets will evolve. Both for users who grew up on it and those finding it for the first time.