As we reported last month, Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom has closed up shop after several years of operation. This is said to be in anticipation of their upcoming virtual worlds, including one based on the movie Cars and one on Tinker Bell. Yet recently, we've heard a new piece of information in the Disney business plan puzzle.

What they're working on is a merger between the Walt Disney Internet Group and the Disney Interactive Studios, effective immediately. This new group, entitled the Disney Interactive Media Group will be led by Steve Wadsworth, previously the president of the Disney Internet Group. It will cover all of their gaming endeavors from console to virtual worlds, which seems to be a positive step towards the company's focus on online gaming for kids.

Don't tell us -- we already know what you're playing this week. It starts with Age and ends with Conan, and it launched on Tuesday. Everybody and their barbarian are probably heading back into the Hyborian Age to cut off limbs and fight in real-time and build up cities and do what have you.

What else could you be playing. Not Virtual Magic Kingdom, obviously (whoops -- too soon?). You might be setting foot in Dark Age of Camelot to nab some of that sweet, sweet double XP (and in the non-MMO world, we hear Halo 3 has a double XP weekend going on as well). But odds are, unless you tell us otherwise in the comments below (or just shout out your AoC allegiance), you're shedding blood in the newest kid on the block.

So tell us: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? In the worlds of virtual worlds, where, in the parlance of our times, you at?

Previously on WRUP...

Last month it was announced that Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom would be closing down. Fans rallied around their online escape, while the company claimed that the project was actually years overdue for a shutdown. The LA Times is reporting that Mickey's online abode will shut down at close of business today. Speaking to the newspaper, president of the Walt Disney Internet Group Steven Wadsworth offered that the project 'never achieved scale.' The company never had plans to monetize it, and the small but loyal audience it's developed was never intended.

The Times piece also speaks to folks on the other side of the equation, including a young fan of the world with neuromuscular disease. Her experiences in the world were uplifting - she even celebrated her birthday there, apparently. "At Disney, we'd rather do anything in the world than disappoint a guest," said John Spelich, a Disney Internet Group spokesman. "But we hope our VMK players will choose to sample some of the other ways to engage with Disney online through disney.com or through virtual worlds."
[Via Worlds in Motion]

With the advent of the next generation of social networking MMOs on the rise, and the retirement announcement of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom, we can't help but wonder what is the real definition of an MMO these days? Where is online gaming headed, and what is there a real demand for anymore?

After VMK's closing announcement last week, users let it be known that they were not happy with Disney's decision. As we reported yesterday, there were several comments concerning the fact that taking down this virtual world was like taking down their real world. Many of them were not only fiery and disparaging, but the retorts to these comments were even more dramatic. Yes, this happened on the internet! Can you believe it? The fact is, this makes us wonder if we're approaching dangerous ground with the immersion factor of these virtual worlds, especially as they pertain to our children and their interpretation of the world. The real world, that is.

We reported on the closing of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom the other day, and at the time, it seemed like business as usual -- Disney had created the virtual world for an event, and the event was over, so it was time for the world to close. But the comments thread over on this Virtual Worlds news post about the closing has to be seen to be believed: fans of this place loved it completely and are painfully heartbroken over its closing. There are tons of eloquent, emotional comments lauding VMK for its sense of community, the friends made there, and the opportunity to connect on a virtual level with other people and Disney's attractions when, for various reasons, the same can't be done in real life.

What's most amazing here is that, from these comments, it seems VMK was one of the strongest virtual communities out there. This is why we play these MMO games -- to connect with others online, to experience things that can't be experienced any other way, and to create connections that otherwise wouldn't be there. It's an amazing story -- here's an MMO that worked perfectly in terms of building community and developing social connections between players, and yet Disney chooses to close it down.

There is a petition online, with 11,000 signatures as of this writing, to keep VMK open. Disney has responded to this emotion with a short statement only saying "we hear you," and the game itself is still set to close down as planned on May 21st.

[Via Waxy.org]

It's a sad day for for those who enjoy some digitalized Disney magic. It's been decided that Virtual Magic Kingdom, the virtual world developed and released in 2005 to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the real Disneyland's opening, will be closed for good on May 21. According to an FAQ posted on the official website, the reason VMK is closing is because it was originally intended simply as a promotion for the event in 2005, and has continued to run far longer than they originally intended.

Of course, all is not lost for those who subscribe to the cult of Disney. They've already announced a commitment to spend over $100 million in the virtual world space, and they recently consolidated all of their online efforts, including Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Toontown Online, into one division. Their execs already have a firm grasp on the role virtual worlds have to play in building up their brands, so it seems likely that they'll be actively chasing after the casual gaming dollar for the foreseeable future.

[Via Worlds in Motion]