Category: Web Development

It’s official: Poptropica.com now automatically redirects to Coolmath Games (CMG), as announced earlier this year following a shutdown scare in December. The Poptropica website is no more, but the game will live on through CMG, which hosts a vast library of ex-Flash games.

Coolmath Games will be the platform to access Poptropica going forward, although as previously mentioned on their blog, there are currently no plans to restore the old islands (RIP to best island Astro-Knights 🚀). Like Poptropica, CMG is also under Sandbox & Co, so the ownership remains the same — only the web hosting has switched.

CMG’s announcement of the move on social media (Twitter/X and Instagram) was short and sweet, stating that you can still access your account and to contact them for any questions.

Curiously, CMG liked a comment from a fan account on their Instagram post which said that Poptropica was going to close until CMG stepped in to save the day. This matches the narrative in CMG’s earlier blog post, though it’s interesting that Poptropica never said so themselves.

At the end of the day, Poptropica is still alive and doesn’t seem to be shutting down anytime soon, so that’s worth celebrating. 🙌

However, as their blog states, there are no plans for more content new or old, so what we have now — mostly several short islands and episodes — may be all we get for the foreseeable future. It may not be much, but there are a couple of improvements to CMG’s Pop: mobile playability straight from your web browser, and full screen mode!

UPDATE — Mar 5: CMG’s blog post removed the part about the old islands, offering a slight hope that old islands might return, although there is no other indication that any such plans are in the works.

If you want to replay the old islands, you can still do so through Flashpoint, the unofficial preservation project. Another option is Poptropica’s paid Steam bundle, but Flashpoint has more content. Whether you play on Coolmath Games, Flashpoint, or Steam, don’t forget to visit our Island Guides for tips along your adventures! 🥳

~ Ad astra per aspera ~

-Smart Bubbles

p.s. Read more about the Poptropica-to-Coolmath Games migration here.

Big news, Poptropicans: Poptropica is officially moving to Coolmath Games, a sister site owned by the same parent company, Sandbox & Co. (**Jan 19 & Feb 1 UPDATES added below with new insights from CMG.)

On Poptropica’s homepage, you’ll now be greeted with a pop-up message explaining the move. You can close the message and continue perusing the site as usual, including being able to log in and play.

As the pop-up states, Poptropica won’t be shutting down (despite the rumors), will still be playable on Steam and mobile, and will stay membership-free. They also promise refunds this month for those who had purchased membership before it was made obsolete.

UPDATE – Jan 19: Coolmath Games (CMG) also made a blog post about the move, sharing how they’ve already made a couple of improvements to the CMG version: making it playable on mobile and tablet devices straight from your web browser (no app download needed), and expanding the big-screen mode (lower-right corner) so the game can now be played full screen after watching a sponsored ad video.

In their decision to step up, CMG shares that “the original Poptropica decided to wind down,” which Pop had notably never mentioned before, and which also shows that there was some merit to the shutdown rumor after all. Seeing this, CMG “offered to cover the ongoing costs and hosting of the game” so it could live on. Your current Pop account will still work on CMG, separate from CMG accounts.

CMG also explains that the Poptropica site will fully redirect to CMG at some point, and plans to preserve “all content users find valuable… including… blogs.” Perhaps we may see the Pop Creators’ Blog (which mysteriously disappeared earlier this month) make a return on CMG?

UPDATE – Feb 1: CMG again modified their blog post to address the question of whether old islands from Poptropica’s early days would be returning. Unfortunately, the answer at this time is a disappointing no.

UPDATE – Mar 5: The section mentioning the old islands has been removed, offering a slight hope that old islands might return, although there is no other indication that any such plans are in the works.

Over on social media, Poptropica and CMG further elaborated on the move with posts on Instagram and Twitter (X). The migration is happening “in the coming months,” exact date to be announced.

The message refers to Poptropica’s official website, Twitter, and IG as places to find info about the game, while Pop also calls on its followers to follow CMG for info about Pop’s status. A tweet from CMG also links to Pop’s contact form as a place to ask questions.

i believe so – the game will be membership-free. The app is still available as well. If you have any more questions, send them here: https://t.co/DlMbjTB7wf

The team there will be able to better assist with any pop-related questions 🙂

— Coolmath Games (@TheRealCoolmath) January 18, 2024

CMG also has a much more active social media presence on both Twitter and Instagram than Poptropica lately, which seems to be a good sign that they will be more responsive in addressing fans’ concerns.

A promising CMG tweet from last year shares how they’ve been working with AwayFL, an Adobe Flash emulator, to bring back classic Flash games to their platform — bringing hope that this may someday include more of Pop’s old islands. However, CMG hasn’t promised this yet.

We've been working with @awayflplayer to bring back classic flash games to Coolmath Games

Check out this helpful guide about the process👇 pic.twitter.com/1GJy8KavFv

— Coolmath Games (@TheRealCoolmath) January 26, 2023

Poptropica has actually been on CMG since 2019 with the release of Reality TV: Wild Safari Island, though this island is no longer in the game. Poptropica’s presence on CMG continues to mirror what is on the official website, as it has throughout their “years-long partnership.”

Could the shutdown hoax have been the catalyst to CMG deciding to take action, as their social media posts seem to suggest? What do you think of the move? Share with us in the comments and on the PHC!

~🐠