Virtual Magic Kingdom

Virtual Magic Kingdom
Virtual Magic Kingdom official logo
Developer(s)	Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Sulake Corporation
Publisher(s)	Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Distributor(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Designer(s)	Seth Mendelsohn, Jeremy Malillin
Engine	Adobe Shockwave
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release	May 23, 2005
Genre(s)	Massively multiplayer online game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Virtual Magic Kingdom, also known as VMK, was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Sulake Corporation and published by The Walt Disney Company. It was a virtual representation of the Disneyland style theme parks, containing areas and minigames which were based on real park scenery and attractions. It was launched as part of the Happiest Celebration on Earth promotional campaign to commemorate fifty years of Disney theme parks.

The beta version opened publicly on May 23, 2005 with three virtual lands to explore: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, and Adventureland. This "beta" designation was removed on June 27. The Tomorrowland game area was made available on October 5, and Frontierland opened on December 12. The rest of Tomorrowland opened on April 4, 2006, and New Orleans Square, the final land added, opened on January 8, 2007.

VMK initially launched as an attachment to the Disneyland 50th Birthday Celebration, without long-term intentions, but it gained popularity and eventually became a long-term venture on its own. The target audience of the game was children between the ages of 8 and 14, although VMK was designed to be enjoyed by guests of all ages. Due to the young age of the game's target users, it was patrolled by paid staff who watched out for inappropriate behavior and language. Because of the need for human monitors, the time that the game was open had to be limited; it was open to the public daily between 7:00am–10:00pm PST (10:00am–1:00am EST, 3:00pm–6:00am UTC).