Category: Islands

Creators, Greek Sea Odyssey Island

Several Creators sailing away on Greek seas

LJ

Hello, Poptropicans!

Captain Crawfish is back with a new video walkthrough for the newest island release, Greek Sea Odyssey—complete with sass and sarcasm!

We’ve also got a written Greek Sea Odyssey guide here on the PHB, and it’s got more than just walkthroughs—we even have trivia and museum info.

popworldsgreekisland

But back to that video… well, we’ve got some news. If you watch all the way to the end, at around the 15:55 mark, Captain Crawfish (who we know is voiced by Mitch Krpata) makes an unusual closing statement that’s rather sentimental:

Friends, Poptropicans — I’m Captain Crawfish. It has been the privilege of my life to bring you Poptropica over the last ten years. I love you!

Although it’s very subtle here, other sources show us that the Captain, aka Mitch Krpata, has parted ways with Poptropica, after ten years of service. Shocked? So are we.

Mitch Krpata, in case you’re not familiar, is a senior story developer and narrative designer for Poptropica, and author of three of the Poptropica graphic novels (The Lost Expedition, The Secret Society, and The End of Time).

The same day the Greek Sea Odyssey video came out, Krpata tweeted:

He’s also updated his LinkedIn page to show that he no longer works for StoryArc Media, Poptropica’s parent company:

mitchkrpatalinkedin.png

And he’s not the only one.

Nate Greenwall, who went under the alias Shark Guy (formerly Shark Boy), and was the inventor of beloved Poptropica icon Dr. Hare, also put out this tweet about working for Poptropica, in past tense:

Greenwall also had a few tips to share about his experience doing game design for a younger audience (or any age, really):

And we know of one more who’s gone: Lance Fry, a senior artist at Poptropica. You may be familiar with some of the work he’s done, featured here in this Pop Portfolio.

Well, his LinkedIn page indicates this was also his last month with StoryArc Media, and Fry has been tweeting about looking for full-time work, too.

lancefry

We also haven’t heard from Creators Dave and Stephanie in a while, either, suggesting that they may not be around either—though there isn’t any solid evidence on this yet.

The PHB reached out to Krpata for comment, and he confirmed that he and several others were let go this week. He also adds: “I’m so proud of the work we did and I can’t tell you how much your support mattered. Whatever Poptropica’s future, I’ll always be proud to have been a part of it.”

And Greenwall gave the PHB a shout-out:

So, why did this happen?

One thing to consider is the dwindling popularity of the game. It’s no secret Poptropica isn’t as popular as it once was. Krpata even stated this himself in an interview on The Oddball Show, which we covered here on the PHB.

As far as numbers go, Mitch reports that there are well over 500 million avatars created, and over 100 million players. However, he also says the game is “definitely not as cool now as it was before.” If you go to a school now and ask, “who knows Poptropica?” you might get about a dozen or so hands raised. But at the peak of Poptropica’s popularity, in 2010, every kid would be raising their hand – it was, for that while, the biggest site in the world for kids.

When companies become less popular, there is less of a need for a large number of employees to work for them, since the demand to produce content isn’t as high. This means that they’ll have to let some employees go. Poptropica is no exception.

This leads us to an even bigger question: What does this say about how Poptropica is doing financially?

When a company lets employees go, it usually indicates that they cannot afford to keep them around. It’s especially telling that these guys—Krpata, Greenwall, and Fry—all had senior positions, years of experience (a whole decade, even), and did not seem to want to be let go (the job searching indicates that it wasn’t like they had planned to move on elsewhere). We can’t confirm financial motivations, but we can speculate…

The fact that StoryArc Media chose to drop some of their most valuable team members (as opposed to those less experienced, if there were any) is pretty alarming. It could be that they had to make budget cuts because they couldn’t pay their best workers the salaries they deserved, or perhaps they had a falling out with the higher-ups that we don’t know about. Whatever the case may be, we’re sorry to see them go.

Update: Mitch Krpata published a blog post on his website about his current unemployment that offers some more insight into the incident, saying:

On Monday, I was informed that my position was being eliminated. Here I am.

Read more: The future, great and terrible.

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Greek Sea Odyssey Island, New Islands

An Odyssey Awaits!

Silver Wolf

Hiya, Silver Wolf here with news about a new island on Poptropica Worlds!

Only a day ago, Brave Tomato posted a trailer for an upcoming island, Greek Sea Odyssey, and it’s already here! It came out on mobile that same day, but now it’s available on both the app and browser, so you can play at home or on the go.

worlds greek sea

Right now it’s in early access for members only, so if you don’t have a membership you’ll have to wait a little longer to play.

Odyssey

So what is Greek Sea Odyssey about? Well, when you drop off the blimp, the first person you meet is Georgios, who explains that people are trying to build a city ruled by its citizens (or a democracy, as your Poptropican points out), but Zeus, ruler of all the Greek gods, keeps interfering. That’s not that unexpected; I mean, Zeus wants to rule all of Poptropica, after all.

The island seems to be a continuation of Mythology Island on Poptropica Original, with all the gods having left Olympus except for Zeus. Athena asks for your help to overthrow him, but in order to do so, you need to — guess what — go on an odyssey across the sea and gather sacred artifacts. Will you topple the great god of Zeus, or will you fall to his wrath? And what do these sacred artifacts include?

I don’t want to go too much into detail because of spoilers, but if you really are dying to find out what happens or need help on a section of the island, you can check out our island guide. 😉

Update: There are also Greek Sea Odyssey costumes in the store, including two members only costumes and two costumes for everyone.

unknown-2

From left to right, we have: a generic Greek female costume, the queen Hera, a skeleton, and emo Icarus—my personal favorite character. It’s pretty cool that you can be actual Greek Sea Odyssey characters, and that there’s something for everyone!

What do you think of this island concept? Is it too similar to the classic Mythology Island or do you like the idea of a sort of sequel? And which costumes do you like? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

-SW 🐺

Greek Sea Odyssey Island, Mythology Island, New Islands, Popspiracy Theories

New Pop Worlds Adventure Trailer! — A storm is coming…

Brave Tomato

Hey guys, my name is Brave Tomato, and I have arisen from the dead yet again to bring you some very exciting news: for the first time in 4 months (7 months if you’re counting solely full islands), a new adventure on Poptropica Worlds is ahead of us.

Guess what, everyone? As the title says: a storm is coming. The trailer for this new adventure had just dropped, so Poptropicans all around the world, brace yourselves, for Greek Sea Odyssey.

Now, from all two of the preview images that we had gotten so far, we knew that a form of Mythology Island was coming, but it was up in the air as to what form it would be in. The trailer, and its YouTube description, seems to imply that this is an entirely new storyline to possibly conclude Zeus’s now three-island arc. Then again, I could be wrong on that assumption. Speaking of the description, here it is!

Set sail on the newest adventure in Poptropica Worlds: Greek Sea Odyssey! Travel through Ancient Greece and beyond in search of the items that will allow you to topple Zeus once and for all!

If I have to guess how this island is going to go beyond “oh no, Zeus is wreaking havoc“, this island seems to be focusing more on a traveling direction, on dare I say, an odyssey. I have a feeling that there will be a series of lands with challenges, each relating to an item that will help in your battle against Zeus. This would likely therefore have somewhat of a Skullduggery Island kind of feel to it, and since one of the most famous stories from Greek Mythology is Homer’s The Odyssey, it would make perfect sense.

Then again, this could also be simply a fresh coat of paint on the story we already know from Mythology Island. Only time will tell on which direction this will go.

As a side note, Zeus has gotten a bit of a design revamp. Alongside his new wardrobe, he’s also looking more disheveled than before:

Whether this is a simple redesigning choice or this appearance was a consequence of being locked up in a sleep chamber for 5 years, this… will take some getting used to for me.

There’s no release date yet, so the most we can do is sit back and see what happens! I know that I’m excited—after all, Mythology Island was my favorite Island.

Where do you think this will go? Are you excited to finally get something out of the Creators? What about dealing with Zeus… yet again? Make sure to keep posted to the Poptropica Help Blog for more updates, and don’t be afraid to comment!

BT out!

Mythology Island, Social Media

What’s the Next Poptropica Worlds Island?

Fierce Flyer

pop

Hello there fellow readers, Fierce Flyer here, or shall I say, Detective Fierce!

So, as you’ve probably noticed, Poptropica Worlds has been rather inactive lately—the last update was two months ago! However, we do know the Creators have been working on a new Island…

Just one thing: exactly what Island is coming out? Join me on this investigation, and let’s predict the next Island to be released on Poptropica Worlds!

Twitter Tip-offs

Back in October 2017, the Poptropica Creators’ Twitter gave us this sneak peek on a new Island that will serve as our first lead in this investigation:

RG.png

This can be a number of things right off the bat, though my immediate instinct is Mythology Island. Other possibilities could be: Time Tangled Island (could be back in time), an awesomely renovated Realms (though unlikely) or maybe even an entirely different Island.

But maybe they’ve canceled it or been working on something else since then? We haven’t heard much else. Though this recent tweet, and the one above, might offer hope:

Let’s try to figure out what big things are happening…

Facebook Failures

Nothing of interest here—they haven’t posted on Facebook since Dec. 18, 2017.

Creators’ Blog Case

Surprisingly enough, looking over at the Poptropica Creators’ Blog, I discovered some pretty interesting stuff that might give me the clues for cracking this mystery. As I was scrolling through past posts, I stumbled upon a post about Cryptids Island from August. The post itself was quite random, having no updates and serving as more of a filler.

Cryptid_Island_1200x627 (1)

Recalling a memory in the back of my mind about when the post was made, I checked Twitter again. There, I found a string of tweets from the Creators promoting other Islands from Original Poptropica. These were, in order: Nabooti, Mythology, Arabian Nights, Cryptids, and Time Tangled Island.

However, these tweets (all tagged with #FridayFacts) were just for fun and didn’t offer any insights on new updates.

Moving on…

Instagram Investigation

Eureka! Earlier today, the Creators posted a brand new sneak peek on their Instagram. Along with the Twitter image above, and the evidence gathered, I believe we can make a pretty good guess as to what the next Island will be…

ig myth throne

Posted with the caption “Ascend to the throne!”, this may be the last true piece of evidence for making a prediction. Time Tangled Island? I think not. If you take a closer look at the the chair, you can see the framing made of glowing lightning bolts. The scenery colors also look very familiar to a boss battle scene from the Original Pop. I think I just might know what Island this could be…

What Island: Mythology Island!
When: Sometime in February or March!

From the clues, it’s clear as day that Mythology is the next and newest Island to be released on Poptropica Worlds, and it’ll be here soon! And, like the new 24 Carrot Island released several months ago, it’ll likely be a remastered version coming to Worlds.

Judging from those recent tweets and how awesome it looks, I’d say it appears to be near finished. Big news was on its way this month according to Twitter, so if all goes according to plan, it should be here sometime February, or at least by March!

For all you Poptropicans eagerly waiting to complete another Island, the skies are looking bright, or shall I say… stormy! You know, because of Zeus’s lightning bolts… stormy skies… okay, I’ll stop. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Follow Poptropica on social media:
Facebook | Creators’ Blog | Twitter | Instagram

~Detective Flyer 🔍✈

24 Carrot Island, Clubhouse, Dr. Hare's Revenge, Legendary Swords, Store

Dr. Hare today, Carotenoid gone tomorrow

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Slanted Fish here with news of massive updates to Poptropica Worlds. Quite possibly the biggest load we’ve had in all of Worlds’ half-year of existence!

First up: the long-awaited winning costume designs from the #MyPoptropicaCostume contest have made their way into Worlds! Well, the grand prize winners, anyway: the “Ocean Princess” by Creepy Peanut (with matching Merman designed by the Creators), and the “Hip Hop Boy” by Speedy Toes (with matching girl design by the Creators). (Let’s hope the runner-ups eventually get their designs in the store, too.)

You can check out these new costumes in the store on Poptropica Worlds, along with several other new costumes: a fashionable girl with snazzy flower pants, another with a flower crown (members only), a tough-looking dude with a gun and Nintendo Power Glove (members only), a cowboy and cowgirl, and Carotenoid from Dr. Hare’s Revenge.

It’s good to see that most of these are available to everyone. Even the members-only costumes have a part or two available to all. Enjoy the new costumes!

Speaking of making things available to everyone, check your Poptropica Original map: Legendary Swords, which returned from a long hiatus last week but for members only, is now back for everyone! Go kick some bots and earn that sweet new “LS” medallion!

ls on map

Need a hand? Check out our Legendary Swords Guide!

So, while it’s super awesome of the Creators to make some of this stuff available to everyone, here’s a hard truth: some of the good things in life aren’t free. Like this massive Dr. Hare-themed update to the player homes on Worlds, which, guess what: is almost entirely for members only! Leave it to the pink villain to spoil our spirits, huh?

But hey, we still like to look at what’s new, so let’s check out the Hare-splosion that’s taken over every tab of the home decor selections, plus the new house expansion:

Wow, that is a ton of new items:

  • bright yellow Dr. Hare wallpaper (for everyone!)
  • space station walls (default in the new house expansion)
  • a Rabbot statue
  • carrot-like vintage-style wall telephone with mini Dr. Hare holding it up
  • inflatable Dr. Hare boxing punching bag
  • green saucer light from H.A.R.E. (Dr. Hare’s space station)
  • fridge with Hare’s drone ears
  • carrot bed
  • carrot throne
  • pink chair from H.A.R.E.
  • “Respect the Carrot” sign (for everyone!)
  • crate of carrots (for everyone!)
  • floating table with carrots of various colors (for everyone!)
  • table with a big sliced carrot (for everyone!)
  • framed picture of drone ears
  • another of a carrot
  • window with dystopian 24 Carrot Island backdrop
  • window with space view
  • “Beware the Hare” poster
  • Dr. Hare autographed poster (note: it’s super small!)
  • and finally, the Dr. Hare key for the house expansion.

Whew, that was a lot. Here’s what everything looks like, including the new room (oh, and I threw in the trophy from Dr. Hare’s Revenge—which we’ll get to in just a bit):

Click to view the images in full size!

There’s also something new on the Poptropica Worlds map (no, it’s not a new island): a green “Start Here” label was added to 24 Carrot Island, so I suppose that’s the recommended place to start if you’re new to Worlds.

map start here worlds

Neat, but let’s hope we see some more full-fledged islands populate this map in the upcoming year!

One last thing: Dr. Hare finally showed up to his own game, Dr. Hare’s Revenge! And it only took him two months since the mini-game’s release. Regardless, he’s here—or at least, he will be once you finish all four zones of the game. If you’ve already beat the game but haven’t seen him, you can see him right away next time you hop on over.

When he shows up on the scene, he’ll fire his fancy new carrot-powered ray gun at Carotenoid for being useless, and Carotenoid will fall to pieces. RIP.

Then he’ll turn his target to you… except, of course, you’ve snagged all his carrots (never mind the many boxes that remain all over the place). Still, he’ll trick you into looking away, and he’ll be gone before you know it. Oh, and you’ll get 500 coins again—I suppose that’s a good deal!

(Why yes, I did snag myself a new jacket from one of the hip-hoppers in the store earlier. Reppin’ Poptropica in Poptropica… makes sense, right?)

Also: if you’ve yet to beat the game, we’ve got a Dr. Hare’s Revenge Guide right here!

Well, that concludes this super-big update! What did you like or wish was different? Share your thoughts in the comments below. ✌️

Keep troppin’ and don’t be trippin’,

<・)))><<