Littlest Pet Shop Online (partially found assets of children's massively multiplayer online role-playing game; 2009-2011): Difference between revisions

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The description of the game from Electronic Art's official site reads as follows:
The description of the game from Electronic Art's official site reads as follows:


<blockquote>
"Jump right into your own LITTLEST PET SHOP world, full of cute, quirky pets that magically come to life in an exciting digital world. Collect some of the newest and cutest pets and explore the four separate environments where you can care for and play with your pets in a variety of mini-games. The more time you spend having fun with your pet, the more great stuff you earn for your pet shop, including new pets, play sets, accessories, and more. Experience your LITTLEST PET SHOP in a whole new way!"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110817060628/http://www.ea.com/littlest-pet-shop-online An archived webpage from Electronic Art's website, detailing information about ''LPSO.''] Retrieved 19 May '21</ref>
"Jump right into your own LITTLEST PET SHOP world, full of cute, quirky pets that magically come to life in an exciting digital world. Collect some of the newest and cutest pets and explore the four separate environments where you can care for and play with your pets in a variety of mini-games. The more time you spend having fun with your pet, the more great stuff you earn for your pet shop, including new pets, play sets, accessories, and more. Experience your LITTLEST PET SHOP in a whole new way!"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110817060628/http://www.ea.com/littlest-pet-shop-online An archived webpage from Electronic Art's website, detailing information about ''LPSO.''] Retrieved 19 May '21</ref>
</blockquote>


Worth noting is the mention of four different environments that players could explore. During the games lifespan, only two were released: Waggington and Kittywood.
Worth noting is the mention of four different environments that players could explore. During the games lifespan, only two were released: Waggington and Kittywood.

Revision as of 22:23, 19 May 2021

Lpso logo.png

The logo for the game.

Status: Partially Found

Littlest Pet Shop Online, or LPSO, was an online multiplayer game developed by Electronic Arts in collaboration with Frima Studios and the toy company Hasbro. Released in September of 2009, the game allowed players to customize their own pet, play games, and talk with friends. In addition, toys were released by Hasbro that contained codes for the game that could unlock special, exclusive content. Originally marketed towards young girls, the game has received a cult following among many different demographics. The game was active for a number of years, before shutting down sometime in 2013. Although active members of the community have been working to restore the game, many of the assets are still only considered partially found.

Development

News of the LPSO's development was announced in February of 2009, [1] with the game releasing only a few months later in September of the same year.[2] The game was active for roughly four years, shutting down sometime in 2013.[3]

Gameplay

The description of the game from Electronic Art's official site reads as follows:

"Jump right into your own LITTLEST PET SHOP world, full of cute, quirky pets that magically come to life in an exciting digital world. Collect some of the newest and cutest pets and explore the four separate environments where you can care for and play with your pets in a variety of mini-games. The more time you spend having fun with your pet, the more great stuff you earn for your pet shop, including new pets, play sets, accessories, and more. Experience your LITTLEST PET SHOP in a whole new way!"[4]

Worth noting is the mention of four different environments that players could explore. During the games lifespan, only two were released: Waggington and Kittywood.

LPSO's gameplay was quite standard for a children's MMO of the time; However, the amount of customization it featured was a huge draw for many players. Many of these features were locked behind premium memberships, but those wishing to play the game weren't required to spend money.

Players could customize their house, play mini games, talk to friends, and more. By playing mini games, the player would receive "Kibble Coins". This in-game currency could be used to purchase items for the player's pet. Premium members also had the added bonus of being able to purchase exclusive items using these coins.[5]

LPSO also featured a heavily moderated chat room, known as a "safe chat". Electronic Arts states that this chat "...allows only LITTLEST PET SHOP ONLINE-approved words to be typed."[5]

As stated previously, LPSO also featured premium memberships, which gave players "...special benefits such as extensive customization and creativity features, 100s of collectible items and the ability to create custom virtual pets." These memberships would start off at $6.95 a month, with discounts for three, six, and twelve month packages.[5]

An example of LPSO stuffed toys, shown off at the 2009 Toy Fair.

Toys

The game, like many other children's MMOs, (Webkinz, Beanie Babies 2.0, etc.) had features on the site that could only be unlocked through the purchase of a toy. Commercials from the time show that LPSO plushes could be purchased from retailers, and by using a code on the tush tag of the item, would unlock a 30 day free trail for a premium membership of the game. [5] This allowed users to enjoy some of the features of the Premium Membership, including advanced customization, for a brief period of time.

Availability

It is unknown why LPSO was discontinued. However, many members of the Littlest Pet Shop community have been making an effort to restore the game to a playable state. Known as "LPSO: Revived!", Players have been restoring music, art assets, maps, and more for the game. LPSO's assets still remains partially lost, but this may not be the case for long.

Videos

A brief gameplay video.

A commercial for LPSO plush toys.

External Link

References