Club Penguin, the Disney‑owned Flash MMO that entertained kids from 2005 until its shutdown in 2017, was more than just a game—it was a cultural touchstone for an entire generation. According to Stephen MacDonald, who served as a senior manager at Disney between 2012 and 2015, the platform boasted over 300 million registered accounts at its height.
The demise of Adobe Flash effectively ended the penguin‑filled world, and the mobile‑only follow‑up, Club Penguin Island, failed to capture the same magic, closing its doors in December 2018, just eighteen months after launch. In the years that followed, Roblox emerged as many children’s first foray into online gaming. While Roblox’s meteoric rise is undeniable, MacDonald argues that it cannot replace the safety‑first philosophy that defined Club Penguin.
He explains that a typical progression once looked like this: a preschool‑age child might start with a gentle brand like Peppa Pig, graduate to Club Penguin to learn basic online‑safety habits, and then move on to more competitive titles such as Fortnite. Today, however, the path often jumps straight from Peppa Pig to Roblox, a leap that MacDonald believes leaves young players exposed to adult‑oriented social tools and environments they are not yet equipped to navigate. "In many competitive games, younger kids become easy prey for older teens and adults," he says. "Socially, the risk is even higher—they’re vulnerable to predatory behavior." Motivated by this gap, MacDonald founded Magic Potion Games with the explicit goal of creating a spiritual successor to Club Penguin.
Backed by investors including Square Enix, 1AM Gaming, 1Up Ventures, and Konvoy Ventures, and advised by industry veterans such as Bungie co‑founder Alex Seropian and Club Penguin co‑founder Lane Merrifield, the studio is developing Imagine Island. The new title places live moderation, age‑appropriate safety mechanisms, and a child‑first design ethos at its core, targeting players aged six to thirteen. "Our mission was to return to that safe space for kids coming out of preschool‑level content," MacDonald explains. "From there they can graduate to platforms like Roblox or beyond, but only after they’ve learned how to stay safe online." MacDonald is based in Kelowna, British Columbia—the same region where New Horizon Interactive originally built Club Penguin before Disney acquired it in 2007.
During his tenure, MacDonald oversaw game design and production and witnessed firsthand the extensive safeguards Disney employed. "Few people realize how many live moderators we had—hundreds of staff dedicated to protecting children’s interactions and collaborating with law enforcement to remove predators quickly," he notes. One of the most advanced tools of that era was Community Sift, a chat‑filter and moderation system pioneered by Chris Priebe (brother of Club Penguin developer Lance Priebe).
Microsoft later purchased the technology in 2021, underscoring its innovative edge at the time. Beyond brute‑force filtering, Club Penguin used subtle behavioral nudges.
MacDonald recounts an example where a player typed a borderline comment; the system silently blocked it while showing the player that the message never reached others, creating an uncomfortable silence that discouraged similar language. This form of social engineering helped shape a community culture where inappropriate content simply didn’t get traction. The original game’s reliance on Flash was both a strength and a weakness. While Flash allowed the game to run on virtually any device—from high‑end PCs to basic net‑connected toasters—its eventual obsolescence forced the platform offline.
MacDonald believes the decision to pivot exclusively to mobile with Club Penguin Island was misguided. "A large portion of our audience still played on PCs because of accessibility. The universal compatibility was part of the secret sauce." Since Club Penguin’s closure, Roblox’s user base has exploded, growing from 13.7 million daily active users in Q4 2018 to 144 million by Q4 2025, according to Statista. MacDonald acknowledges Roblox’s technical achievements but stresses a fundamental difference in DNA.
"Roblox started as a tool‑creation platform, not a child‑focused product. Club Penguin was built from the ground up with kids in mind." He also points out that while Roblox has made strides—introducing age verification for chat in 2023, a "sensitive issues" content label in 2025, and restricting direct messaging for under‑13s in 2024—concerns remain. The U.S. Senate recently opened an inquiry into Roblox, alleging that revenue and engagement metrics may be prioritized over child safety.
Imagine Island was conceived by asking a simple question: "What core DNA of Club Penguin should we carry forward, and how can we adapt it for a new generation that plays differently?" After leaving Electronic Arts in 2023, MacDonald re‑connected with former Club Penguin colleagues—Sascha Williams and Karin Johnson—to raise venture capital. Their pitch resonated; they secured several million dollars to prototype the new world, with safety baked in from day one.
The gameplay loop mirrors the original’s charm: players design a personalized avatar, explore a vibrant island, tackle mini‑games, complete quests, and join community challenges. Within months of its beta launch in August, Imagine Island surpassed one million registered users, despite minimal marketing spend. The game is accessible via web browsers through a partnership with CrazyGames, echoing Club Penguin’s cross‑platform ethos. Safety remains the non‑negotiable foundation.
In addition to human moderators, the studio employs the GGWP moderation suite and is actively exploring AI‑driven tools to flag risky conversation patterns. "My number one rule is: are kids safe?
Everything else comes after that," MacDonald asserts. He likens the environment to a supervised playground: children can roam in groups, but vigilant adults monitor every corner.
User‑generated content is permitted, but the platform restricts asset uploads, allowing the team to control visual elements while still encouraging creativity. MacDonald admits that even with these safeguards, some players will test boundaries—an inevitable part of growing up online.
To address this, the team conducts an "over‑the‑shoulder" test: if a parent walked by and saw the screen, would it pass their scrutiny? This mindset guides decisions about what visual cues or language are acceptable. Reflecting on the pandemic’s impact, MacDonald notes that virtual worlds became essential social spaces for children isolated from physical play. "Roblox turned into a digital mall for a generation," he says, adding that many of its popular experiences—like the Adopt Me pet‑adoption game—are direct descendants of Club Penguin’s beloved Puffle system.
He expresses surprise at how few modern titles have tried to replicate Club Penguin’s child‑first model, calling it a massive opportunity. "As a developer, I feel a responsibility to contribute something positive to the world, like a deposit in a global bank rather than a withdrawal," he says.
He recalls a poignant moment when the Make‑A‑Wish Foundation brought a terminally ill child to tour the Club Penguin studio; the child’s joy at seeing their penguin avatar left a lasting impression on him, reinforcing his belief in the profound impact games can have on young lives. Imagine Island aims to honor that legacy while leveraging today’s technology to create a safer, more inclusive online playground for the next generation of digital natives.