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today, Toontown Rewritten It has more than 2 million registered users, with an average of 50,000 monthly users and 10,000 daily users. Now 26 and a professional game designer, Ziolkowski is still part of the team of volunteers who maintain the game and Toontown the community lives and grows.
A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Toontown Rewritten the team knows they are working in murky waters. Without a licensing agreement with Disney, 11 years of hard work could be shut down by Disney’s lawyers at any moment. As such, they took extensive steps to address any House of Mouse concerns, including establishing a non-profit organization to oversee the game; make the game free to play; advertising revenue; Removal of NPCs of Disney characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck; and implementing a robust content moderation system to protect young players.
“We try not to mess with their brand,” says Elizabeth Reedy, head of creative media. TTR. “We try not to poke the bear.”
These volunteers are not just giving up their time. The non-profit organization behind Toons of the World Toontown Rewrittenfunded entirely by voluntary donations. Server costs only TTR according to tax returns, it was about $17,000 in 2023. The remaining costs for Toons of the World, totaling about $22,000, go toward hosting in-person fan conventions and running an online museum dedicated to preserving the history of the original MMO.
“Games and communities die all the time when they close,” said Maya Cohen, art director TTR was part of an early revival effort. “While I don’t know for sure, I like to imagine that when people at Disney look at us, it warms their hearts to see the impact their project has had on their players and how they’ve brought it to life. for so long.”
“Don’t let the corporation hurt you”
Toontown Online is considered the first massively multiplayer online game designed primarily for families. The brainchild of game designer Jesse Schell, it was first launched in 2003 and was inspired by Toontown. Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Duckburg, the fictional hometown of Donald, Daisy and Uncle Scrooge, created by artist Carl Barks.
In the game, players (customizable cartoon animals called “Toons”) encounter the world of Toontown, which is overrun by business robots that lurk in the streets and take over shops with their ugly, sad corporate offices. To fight back, the Toons work together to complete tasks and use silly gadgets like cream pies and seltzer bottles to defeat villains and take back their town.
