If you were a kid in the 2010s, chances are you got in on the MMO (massively multiplayer online game) craze and played Disney’s Club Penguin and Toontown, Ganz’s WebKinz, Kingsisle Entertainment’s Wizard101 and the like. Nickelodeon also got in on the MMO action with their 2011 MMO Monkey Quest.
Monkey Quest was an immersive game where you played the role of a customizable monkey fighting monsters, collecting banana currency, and of course, completing quests to unlock new items and areas. You could join one of several tribes, trade with other players, and get to know memorable characters throughout the land of Ook. Nickelodeon even offered exclusive events and costumes for their properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers.
All in all, it was a solid, fun game. After only four years online though, Nickelodeon stated that they wished to shift their “focus towards other digital and mobile experiences” and shut down the game in 2014. Some fans have come up with a different explanation though, claiming that the massive cost of upkeeping the MMO outweighed the income Monkey Quest generated, leading to its premature end. As of 2021, the official website has been taken down, with the only way to access it being through the archives of the Wayback Machine.
Nickelodeon may have moved on, but loyal fans of the game have been determined to bring back the world of Ook. The most promising of these fan recreations was Monkey Quest Reborn, a nonprofit that attempted to bring back the game known and loved, with new features to pick up where Nickelodeon left off. While the original Monkey Quest had many features that were only available if the user had a paid membership, Reborn planned to make all features free. They weren’t looking for money, but a chance to recreate a beloved game Nickelodeon had shelved years ago. Seeing as how Disney’s shutdown of Club Penguin didn’t stop fans from creating their own private servers, Monkey Quest fans were hopeful for a similar revival.
Unfortunately, on January 22, 2021, ViacomCBS (owner of Nickelodeon) contacted Reborn’s developers and demanded they cease operation. When the developers asked if they could obtain a license to legally continue, they were declined and forced to shut down the game to avoid legal troubles.
Alex the Wizard, a prominent member of the community, explained the situation as much as they legally could in a QnA. Despite Reborn being nonprofit and a passion project, Viacom did not desire them to use their discontinued game’s assets (game modals, text, monsters, backgrounds, etc.) and thus there was no way for fans to legally bring back Monkey Quest. “If you’re looking for closure….this is it...” Alex the Wizard stated.
With the fanmade Reborn thwarted by Viacom, the only way Monkey Quest can be revived is by Viacom itself -- a company that has deemed it not worth the investment. Thus, while other MMOs like WebKinz and Wizard101 remain active, Monkey Quest stays as a handful of archived screenshots while a talented team of independent developers sits with their hands tied.
Charlene Pepiot is a junior studying English at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Charlene know by emailing her @cp872117@ohio.edu.
