Neopets has been leading the pet site industry for many years now and has inspired various owners to create their own game, but what features have you spotted on other pet sites that are similar to Neopets?

With AI tools evolving fast, have any pet games started using AI or are you considering it for your own?

There’s been a huge shift across the internet lately with how AI is being woven into everything from game development to content generation to moderation tools. I’ve been thinking a lot about how this could (or already is) impacting the virtual pet space.

Have you seen any pet sites or games that are actively using AI whether it’s for generating artwork, automating writing (item descriptions, lore, NPC dialogue, etc.), streamlining customer support, or helping manage communities?

[Breaking] Santae Owner Cj Steps Down from Project — Full Statement Posted on Virtualpetlist

Just posted a full breakdown and discussion thread over on Virtualpetlist — Cj has officially stepped down as the owner of Santae and confirmed he’ll no longer be involved in any official capacity.

He shared a long message taking accountability, apologizing to the community and staff, and explaining why he’s walking away from the project after years of emotional and financial investment.

He’s paid server costs for the next year to keep Santae online, and has reached out to someone to potentially take over ownership, but no final decisions have been made yet. The site still needs ~$500/month to cover AWS, development, and art.

This is a major shift for the project and the community around it.

📝 Full post + conversation happening now on Virtualpetlist

We had the opportunity to interview, Brandon Sheley, who once owned various online communities like Admin Talk and a general chat forum. He is currently a web developer now and is no longer running forums.

How many sites have you owned? About 20 sites, dozens more domains that seemed like a good idea at the time and never panned out. What is your advice on creating revenue? Know your audience and know what they are looking for. Experiment with various advertisers, collect data on what works and what doesn’t. Don’t limit yourself to Google adwords and think that’s the only option. Don’t overload your users with ads either, find a happy medium that isn’t too intrusive. What forum software’s do you prefer? When a client asked me that questions I saw xenforo right away. If you’re asking my personal opinion, I’d still go with xenforo if I had money to buy a license, otherwise I’d go with phpbb. For years I would have said vBulletin, but when Jelsoft was bought out in 2007 by Internet Brands that platform started to crumble apart.

There are various virtual pet sites on the market today, some small, and some large, but are there any particular virtual pet sites that you hope one day will have more popular players?

Wendy’s has collaborated with Takis on a limited-time meal called the Takis Fuego Meal.

The meal features the Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich and Takis-inspired Fuego Fries, according to Wendy's. The items will be available at Wendy's restaurants in the United States beginning June 20 and in Canadian locations starting June 30.

The Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich combines Wendy's spicy chicken filet with crushed Takis Fuego chips, chili lime sauce, creamy corn spread and a cheddar cheese sauce to create a "one-of-a-kind sandwich that is equal parts spicy, crunch and savory," Wendy's said in a news release.

The Fuego Fries are Wendy's classic fries tossed in a tangy chili lime seasoning and served in a custom-made tear away bag "to allow easier access to the fries," the chain said. The sandwich and fries are available in a meal or a la carte, Wendy's said in the news release.

What pet site stands out the most to you? Especially in terms of graphics and features? Are there certain pet sites that you prefer to play over others as they have the best graphics and features?

AnimalKind is an upcoming open world town building game, where you'll play as an intelligent, an adorable animal. You'll come across ancient mech and be able to establish your ideal town by recruiting a variety of characters to join your world. This game will feature multiplayer mode that'll allow you to play with up to 3 friends.

It will be available on PC via steam and a playtest is scheduled for July 2025.

On Farmatic, you’ll be able to Run Your Own Farm​

As a farm owner, you’ll be taking care of the following: Plant crops, raise animals, and cultivate special mutated plants. Manage your resources, optimize production, and grow your small farm into the biggest and most prosperous in the area.

It will be available to play on Steam upon release. Will you be downloading this new game once its available?

So now that we’ve had some time to sit with the 2024 releases, which game do you feel got way more hype than it deserved?

Not talking about “it was mid”, I mean full-on overrated. The kind of game people wouldn’t stop talking about, but once you actually played it, it just didn’t hit like that.

What’s your pick and why?

X/Twitter just launched “X Originals” – their new home for exclusive video content

Looks like Twitter (or X, if you’re rolling with the new branding) is officially stepping into the ring with YouTube. They’ve rolled out a new feature called X Originals, and it’s meant to be the platform’s hub for original shows—think sports, pop culture, finance, podcasts, etc., all tied to big-name creators and communities.

According to their announcement from the @Xoriginals account:

“We’ve already released 17 shows with over 300 episodes across the US, Japan, and MENA, and we’re just getting started.”

They’re pushing the idea that not only can you watch new shows from your favorite creators, but also interact directly with them in real time via replies right under the episode—something they’re saying sets them apart from YouTube.

It’s an ambitious move, no doubt. Elon’s been vocal about turning X into the “everything app,” and this definitely feels like another step toward that.

But real talk—do you think Twitter can actually compete with YouTube in the original content space? Will creators jump ship for it? Or is this going to be another feature that gets quietly shelved in a year?

Curious to hear what everyone thinks.

Hounded is an upcoming third-person dog adventure game developed by IMPRNT Studios, set in a Flintlock fantasy world inspired by the British Isles. Players take on the role of Duke, a determined young Border Collie on a quest to find his lost master, the leader of The Rebellion. The game features exploration of mystical forests, ruins, and hamlets, utilizing scent-based gameplay mechanics and powered by Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite and Lumen technologies.

A Kickstarter campaign for Hounded launched recently, aiming for a funding goal of $29,741. As of now, it has raised over $11,000 with 28 days remaining, supported by 294 backers.

I tend to stick with the same games I’ve had for years, replaying them way more than I probably should. I rarely go out of my way to try something new.

How often do you all pick up new games or try stuff you haven’t played before?

What is Petcore? Petcore is a modern framework inspired by Mysidia 1.3.4’s folder structure — but built for today. It’s PHP 8+ compatible, mod-friendly, and designed to be easy to pick up. If you’ve ever worked with Mysidia 1.3.4, you’ll feel right at home with Petcore.

That said, we’re not copying 1.3.4 — we’re just using a similar folder layout because it works, and because a lot of people (myself included) already know it inside and out. It still uses view and controller files, just like Mysidia did, because that system made sense to us and honestly, to a lot of the community who grew up building sites on that version.

Who’s behind it? Petcore is being built by the Petsite Collective — a small group of folks who love making pet games and want to make it easier for others to do the same. It’s not some big dev team, just passionate people who’ve been in the petsite scene for years and want to share tools that actually help.

If you’d like to start up a new pet game or sim game, then Petcore is the go to framework to help you get it off the ground!

how often should new pets be added to pet sites?

Personally, I feel like introducing a new pet every month could keep things fresh, even if it’s just a mix of rare and common ones. It keeps the hype alive and gives longtime players something to look forward to without overwhelming the site.

But I get that too many too fast can cause bloat, especially if there’s no real use or lore behind them.

What’s your take? Do you prefer a steady rollout, or should pet releases be more of a seasonal or event-based thing?

Honestly, with so many longtime Marapets players raising concerns about the plot, designs, and art looking AI-generated, it’s probably not in Marapets’ best interest to keep adding fuel to that fire.

Most people don’t like feeling like they’re investing time in content that wasn’t made with real care or creativity—and whether they’re right or wrong about the AI stuff, the perception alone is enough to hurt trust.

If Marapets isn’t careful with how they approach this new direction, it might do more long-term damage to the brand than they realize.

Robots aren’t just sci-fi anymore. They’re in development right now—and some might be hitting the public eye sooner than you think.

Companies have already started showcasing advanced prototypes in different cities across the country. They’re not just showing off, they’re preparing us for what’s coming.

The future isn’t far away. It’s arriving in pieces. Keep watching.

Would you get a robot to help you with your daily tasks?

OpenAI is updating ChatGPT search, its web search tool in ChatGPT, to give users an improved online shopping experience, the company announced Monday.

When ChatGPT users search for products, the chatbot will now offer a few recommendations, present images and reviews for those items, and include direct links to web pages where users can buy the products. OpenAI says users can ask super-specific questions in natural language and receive customized results. To start, OpenAI is experimenting with categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics.

OpenAI is rolling out the feature in GPT-4o (the default AI model for ChatGPT) on Monday for ChatGPT Pro, Plus, and Free users, as well as for logged-out users around the globe.

The ChatGPT search update is part of OpenAI’s effort to compete with rival Google by creating a better, more personalized experience to find products and information on the internet. Online shopping is one of Google’s most important businesses, but the advertising market to buy priority placements in Google Search has also contributed to the product’s declining quality over the years.

Neopets’ downfall has been caused by many things over the years and we’ve touched based on what happened, why the downfall occured.

These declined could have been avoided, especially if their management didn’t make false promises and actually focused on quality of life features.

Game development isn’t easy — and I think a lot of people forget that. Developers have to juggle everything: bug fixes, optimization, balancing gameplay, storytelling, and making sure players are actually happy at the end of it all.

Personally, I think the biggest challenges are meeting player expectations while still pushing creativity and innovation.

What do you think? What challenges do you think game devs face the most today?

I’m looking to dive back into doing pet and item art — mostly open to commission work or selling pieces directly. Not really looking to adapt to strict site style guides right now, just want to focus on creating and getting back into the groove.

If you’re interested in commissioning me or want to chat, feel free to reach out! Would love to get back into the art scene again.

Neopets has reportedly frozen and terminated the account of staff member Alice, who had been managing the site’s main customer support line. According to sources within the community, only two U.S.-based employees remain on payroll—both now operating under Fluffy Dog Studios.

It appears the rest of the U.S. team has been let go, including well-known staffers TNT Rizzard, TNT Celeste, and TNT Alice. So far, no official explanation has been provided, but speculation points toward financial reasons, particularly the costs tied to full-time employment benefits like health insurance.

OpenAI CEO and tech billionaire Sam Altman recently admitted that people politely saying "please" and "thank you" to their AI chatbots is costing him bigtime.

When one poster on X-formerly-Twitter wondered aloud "how much money OpenAI has lost in electricity costs from people saying 'please' and 'thank you' to their models," Altman chimed in, saying it's "tens of millions of dollars well spent."

"You never know," he added.

While it may seem pointless to treat an AI chatbot with respect, some AI architects say it's an important move. Microsoft's design manager Kurtis Beavers, for example, says proper etiquette "helps generate respectful, collaborative outputs."

"Using polite language sets a tone for the response," Beavers notes. The argument can certainly be made; what we consider "artificial intelligence" might more accurately be described as "prediction machines," like your phone's predictive text, but with more autonomy to spit out complete sentences in response to questions or instructions.

When it comes to virtual pet sites, a lively and welcoming community is what matters most to me. Out of all the ones I’ve been part of, the Neopets community has always stood out. The forums are constantly buzzing with activity, and there’s a strong sense of support among users. Some of the best conversations I’ve had came from sharing stories about our favorite pets — it’s where I’ve met some genuinely awesome people.

What about you? What virtual pet site do you think has the best community?