Club Penguin Rewritten Shut Down by Police

A fan remake of Club Penguin, known as Club Penguin Rewritten, has been taken down by Disney and the police. After Club Penguin was shut down in 2018, a group of fans sought to capture the magic of the game and remake it so it could live on. The online game was an incredibly popular title from Disney that allowed players to experience a social hub with other players. You could play games, customize your penguin, and much more. It was heavily promoted on Disney Channel and found success in the mid-2000s, but over time, lost its steam as its original target audience grew up and other free-to-play online games became more enticing.

Club Penguin Rewritten has existed in various forms over the last four years, but it has all come to a likely certain end. The London police have claimed the website for the game on behalf of Disney for copyright reasons, replacing any of its functionality with a giant black screen that notes the site has been taken over by "Operation Creative, Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU)". In a statement to Club Penguin Mountains, the London police noted it had arrested three people for "suspicion of distributing materials infringing copyright", but they were released to aid the investigation. The suspects signed over the website to the authorities, likely suggesting Club Penguin Rewritten has met a brutal end.

Despite the official version of Club Penguin also being no more, it's no surprise to see Disney taking action against the fan remake. The entertainment giant is known for aggressively protecting its IP and ensuring that its images and properties are not used in any significant unofficial capacity. Whether or not the strong support for Club Penguin Rewritten will spark any interest in an official revival from Disney remains to be seen. It's hard to imagine the official game coming back as it's likely not sustainable when put up against all kinds of existing competition.

What do you think about Disney's actions against Club Penguin Rewritten? Let us know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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