A new era for nostalgia: Neopets' CEO on reviving the brand and engaging superfans

The global video game market is set to surge, projected to grow by 6% annually and hit US$257 billion by 2028, according to Bain & Company. Today’s gamers are more than just players; they’re socialising, shopping, and streaming content, with those who participate in these activities tending to spend more, the report said.

For a legacy gaming brand such as Neopets, launched over 25 years ago, revitalising its nostalgic IP is essential to re-engage longtime fans and attract a new generation of gamers through innovative experiences, said its CEO Dominic Law (pictured) at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Digital Marketing Asia Hong Kong.

“In the past, it had over 150 million registered users at its peak. It was as popular as Roblox is today, but it was mismanaged after multiple acquisitions and became a decayed brand that people slowly forgot about. But the beauty is that brand awareness is still very significant.”

Recognising that gamers today value game loops, emotional connection, and community over graphics quality and fidelity, Neopets has launched new features for its unified login system, "NeoPass”. These features include quest log integration and mobile game quests, enabling gamers to earn points and connect various games.

“On one hand, it acts as a game pass for multiple experiences. On the other hand, it leverages the gaming community to connect with their merchandise, new experiences we build, and social media, encouraging them to spend more time outside of the game consuming gaming-related content on other channels,” Law said. He added:

In some industries, you call it a loyalty programme. In the gaming industry, it’s a glorified quest-based login system.

The three-step approach for brand revitalisation

According to Law, only 1% of its users from at least 15 years ago are still playing Neopets, which the company refers to as superfans. The core revival strategy is to reconnect with the 150 million users who grew up playing Neopets, with the next step being to reach the new generation of gamers who have never played or heard of the game.

“This is like a three-step approach. We're reviving the core, which is a classic game. We're leveraging NeoPass to encourage our pass users to return. They can play the classic game, but they can also play the new mobile games that we launched, or any of the licensing products that we put out,” he said. 

For example, Neopets is developing a Roblox experience, launching a Switch game, and introducing a trading card game, along with various merchandise. NeoPass acts as a bridge to connect all users, regardless of their reasons for returning to Neopets. It encourages them to accumulate points and loyalty while exploring the new experiences the company offers.

We need to create as many touchpoints as possible because the 150 million users who once played Neopets often used it as their gateway to the internet.

Gamers today have diverse interests, so Neopets must cast a wider net to attract them back," said Law, adding that the mobile games and NeoPass are designed to prevent user loss. “We foresee that less than 10% of our users will return to the classic game, as not everyone wants to play a 25-year-old title. However, those who do return for nostalgia may play for about 10 minutes, reliving their childhood memories.”

For the next step, those gamers might have disposable income and be inclined to purchase a piece of their childhood, whether it’s a plush toy or other merchandise that holds emotional value," Law said. He added:

Our strategy focuses on merchandise, licensing, and using NeoPass as the foundation to connect everything.

Leveraging super fans for word-of-mouth marketing

As a heritage gaming IP, Neopets has a dedicated group of superfans who can serve as powerful marketing assets, Law said. These fans continue to play the game despite feeling underserved for the past 15 years, as it has faced issues such as bugs, poor user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). 

To rebuild trust with this community, especially after multiple acquisitions that led to broken promises, Law said the spin-off was structured as a management buyout. This served as a starting point to inform gamers that the entire new team managing the game consists of players themselves.

"We all grew up playing Neopets, and we're part of the community. We're now taking a leap of faith to bet our careers on reviving this legendary IP for the community, with the community. That’s a very important and powerful message, as it has brought the whole community together."

On a tactical level, Neopets has launched a community ambassador programme, recruiting core members who have played for at least 10 years instead of seeking celebrities or KOLs, according to Law. The programme is divided into five categories: gameplay focus, Neopets lore, licensing and merchandise knowledge, online community engagement, and involvement in events and conventions.

Receiving over 1,000 voluntary applications from community ambassadors, they have gathered feedback from around half a million monthly active users. These ambassadors help identify bugs, suggest features, and contribute to quality assurance.

“These fans are not just VIPs because they spend the most; many have engaged with the product for years without paying anything, as Neopets is a free-to-play game,” Law said, adding that they often have a deeper understanding of the product than anyone on the team.

On the other hand, providing transparent monthly updates is crucial for community building, especially given the lost trust and unmet promises from past ownership, according to Law. Neopets has issued a monthly newsletter detailing our accomplishments, including both successes and setbacks, while addressing challenges rather than presenting a purely rosy picture.

It's very different from what we see in today's marketing, where the focus is primarily on selling new products and presenting only the positive aspects.

Instead, Law said Neopets has been dedicating time to discussing the failures it faced that month, explaining why certain launches were buggy or why specific game features didn’t work.

“These experiences have actually brought our community closer together, as they feel like they're part of the journey to revive this legendary IP, rather than just listening to corporate executives trying to sell them merchandise or encourage subscriptions,” Law said. While the company’s ultimate goal is to generate revenue and profit, having the community engaged and involved in this journey is far more powerful than simply viewing them as customers, he added.

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