A programmer published interest in releasing a free version of Toontown Online after it was taken down from the public. The game will run the exact version of Toontown Online players know. Alpha testing is planned to begin in a week.
An untimely ending
Shortly after the servers were disconnected to Toontown Online, programmers announced plans to open an alternate version of the game. This exact replica of Toontown Online will be free to play. The programmers behind the project hope Disney will not challenge the legality of the issue.
Disney closed Toontown Online today after 10 years of service. This massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) was targeted at children and provided a family-friendly atmosphere that won several awards, including Game of the Year in 2003 by Computer Gaming World and the Safe Gaming Award by Wired in 2005.
Social networking sites like reddit and tumblr were buzzing with news of the shutdown. Users planning to login shortly before the game unplugged were unable to connect to the server for as long as ten minutes before it was reported to shut down at 11:59. When trying to connect, the error message, “Could not connect to gameserver-lv.toontown.com:6667. Try again?” generated. Users logged in when the game was pulled received a notification that they were kicked from the server.
Pheonix flame
The new build is called Toontown Rewritten and it was announced by reddit user alex_newtron at approximately 2:30 CST. The thread’s title is “Toontown Rewritten: We’re back”. The Toontown Rewritten FAQ states that Alpha Testing should go up in a week for selected users. No criteria to pick these users have been released yet.
The software seems to work. A thread posted to the subreddit /r/toontownps by alex_newtron on August 28, 2013 displays a recording of a build being tested where a user creates a toon named “Fuck You” and after switching between the toon creation program to the game program, the toon is displayed as a ‘Toon to Play’ on the game’s splash screen.
There was a video embedded here, but it was removed from youtube.
Regarding server space and finances, the Toontown Rewritten FAQ states that the game “isn’t nearly as expensive as you would think to maintain. Hardware prices have substantially dropped compared to what they were when Toontown first launched in 2003, and the folks over at Toonbook have provided the funding and servers necessary to run Toontown Rewritten.”
Toonbook is a social network like facebook that connects Toontown users.
Legality
Considering Toontown Online is intellectual property of Disney, it is possible new builds may face lawsuits by stealing software. However, so-called ‘abandonware’ is commonly regarded in the gamer community as up for grabs. The Toontown Rewritten FAQ defended their situation by saying, “We make absolutely no profits whatsoever and will refuse any donations given.” And “Disney is no longer making any money off of the Toontown trademark, meaning that we aren’t stealing any profits from them. Ultimately, the Lawbots will decide our fate.”
To keep up with updates, subscribe to /r/toontownps. I reached out to the user who posted the information on reddit and will update according to their response.
This post was originally meant to be a media evaluation of paradigms and art used in Toontown Online. However, the author believed this story was more pressing. The other story will be posted on a later date.
Thinking Through Virtual Media 
Will you be adding in game content such as new playgrounds new gags and other new features in time?
I’m not a developer, but as soon as I get in contact with one, I will ask them. From what I understand, no intentions of doing so have been released.
if disney threw the game away, why would they care if someone were to pick it out of the virtual trash can?
Thank you!!! :P
your welcome
This is wonderful news for those of us who were not ready to give up the game that we love. Good luck and I hope to see you in TT soon.
if this becomes success… and it wont harm my computer… that will prolly be the best thing ever!!! lets keep our hopes and dreams up! as walt disney said, ”all of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -walt disney
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How do I get a registration code to play on ToonTown Rewritten?
Everyone I hope to see you in TTrewritten Toons of the world unite
if it works and i like the old toontown better
I am so excited about this
.
I’m starting to think this whole “toontown rewritten” thing is a scam
What makes you think that?
Will they be invasions?
Can we play yet?
P.S. I thought of a new gag track you could make sure you can try to do it so we can have 8/9 gag tracks its called Sidekick so what it does is when you learn it. your doodle will battle with you every match you do and (s)he will follow you anywhere and its doodle of your choice that you acualy have and they can do any Level 1 gag that you have but it uses jellybeans but the doodle has 12 of its own jellybeans it can use every battle. But your doodle only has 15 laff to start with so each time it levels up (its the same way you get gags by earning those point things) the doodle gains 10 laff every time. That’s my idea thanks for reading.
P.P.S you chose what gag it uses.
can I have a code?
I’m not on the development team! As soon as the method to receive alpha codes is released, I will pass it along.
plz get me a code
all i want is to play
I desperately really want to help and actually alpha test and make an account and all that. Its probably not possibe but…
If anybody is helping or can get in contact with one please say that I Nilima want to. You maybe will see my name pop up on YouTube somewhere.
When can we play?
its been a few months….. Is there any new news????
Not really but it TTR should be done in middle December.
TTR and TTHouse are Modifying the game and the code to exclude the major cause of risk Disney would take action upon. In addition these modifications seem to be sufficient to dodge claims of Intellectual Property, or any and all Copy Right issues. Fan art, parody or sequels can be written in ways to avoid the law bots. Running a free site makes law bots even less attracted to take action. Changing 20 percent of the content is usually sufficient to avoid problem and future claims against the reworked property. It would make interesting case law one way or the other. Disney would also look bad and would risk good will of Disney Fans who still have company loyalty.
I want a key alpha test
I want to help love toontown
I play from the start in 2003
how can i get a code.i have been playing for almost 10 years and i really miss toontown. i love it very much. its been alot of days for me. i also cried alot when i could not get on toontown. its been really hard for me. you might think its just a stupid game but its not. its apart of many pepoles lives. its been apart of my life. if i could just get a code to just run around i will be very happy. please can i have a code.
when will the real toontown come back?
when will toontown rewritten come out with every place to go?
Yeah, I was playing Toontown ever since it first came out. I am now 19 years of age and pregnant, and was hoping that I’d have the chance to play it with my baby someday. I’ve made so many precious memories playing Toontown with my friends and family members, making new friends, taking videos of our silly adventures and so much more. I practically grew up with this game, and it broke my heart when the bad news of it’s closing struck. I broke down into tears, as a matter of fact. Even though I’ve grown and matured, I’d still be playing Toontown Online if it was still open… It helped relieve so much stress and kept my anxiety to a minimum. To me, and I’m sure many other players could say the same, Toontown was more than just a game. It was a paradise. Good old-fashioned fun, nothing too elaborate and complicated. I can honestly say that I will do whatever it takes to help get this game back up and running, I don’t really care whether or not Disney’s the one to do it. This game was a masterpiece on it’s own, even before they updated it and added all the little accessories and stuff. If it helps, I’ve already signed a petition for it’s comeback on another website, one that only had about 18,770 supporters, since I’m sure not many people could find it so easily. I would gladly copy and paste the link to the petition here, if anyone is interested in signing it.
— Spectre
Can someone please give me a registration key so I can sign up please