In a time whenLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’s release date is a mystery and will likely remain so for months,LEGO Star Wars: Castawaysis a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. It seems like Disney is interested in getting in on theLEGO Star Warsseries of games, and it’s found a pretty clever way to do so. Unlike most ofLEGO Star Warsgames, the newly announcedLEGO Star Wars: Castawaysis a multiplayer social action-adventure game. In other words, it actively encourages players to get together in groups and explore theStar Warsworld, unlike mostLEGOStar Warsgames, which only support one or two players.
Interestingly, it’s not the first time that Disney has tried its hand at a social online multiplayer game. A long time ago, it invested in an extremely successful massively multiplayer browser game known asClub Penguin.AlthoughClubPenguinas players once knew it is long gone, it remains a point of nostalgia for many video game fans who grew up during the Internet age when games likeNeopets, Poptropica,andClub Penguinwere all the rage.LEGO Star Wars: Castawaysis very different, but there are still some design aspects that hearken back to the days of this Antarctic social game.
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A Brief History of Club Penguin
For those who don’t remember it well,Club Penguinwas created by a studio once known as New Horizon Interactive. From its outset in 2005,Club Penguinwas designed as a child-friendly massively multiplayer online game where every player would design their own playable penguin avatar, then explore the game’s many locations and minigames. Although fans could play for free, as with many MMOs, they could unlock many more features of the game witha paidClub Penguinmembership. Members could access new areas of the world map, buy vastly more clothes and accessories with in-game currency to customize their character, and gain more options on how to decorate their penguin’s igloo too.
Club Penguinwas a huge success from the get-go, and Disney noticed. Only a couple of years after the game’s launch, Disney made an extremely generous offer to purchase New Horizon Interactive andClub Penguin,which New Horizon accepted, resulting in the studio rebranding as Disney Canada Inc. With Disney’s support,Club Penguincontinued to flourish over the years with much bolder expansions and events for the game’s user to enjoy. Over time, it even began adding events themed aroundDisney movies likeZootopia,creating a symbiotic relationship between Disney andClub Penguin.
Disney eventually shutClub Penguindownin 2017, but it remained interested in working in this family of social MMOs. In fact, it experimented briefly with a mobile version ofClub PenguincalledClub Penguin Island,but its online multiplayer closed down only a year after the game’s launch, essentially ending the game. Still, Disney is clearly interested in exploring this genre’s potential for child-friendly multiplayer gaming. Perhaps the best evidence for that isLEGO Star Wars: Castaways,which shares a lot of core features withClub Penguin.
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LEGO Star Wars: Castaways Builds on the Formula
One of the most remarkable things aboutLEGO Star Wars: Castawaysis that it’s one of the onlyLEGOgames to date where players play as an original character. At the beginning of the game, playerscustomize aLEGOmini-figure, then jump into theStar Warsworld. From then on, players can collect and unlock mini-figure parts to further customize their character as they like. Collecting clothes, accessories, and household decorations was one ofClub Penguin’s most important gameplay hooks, which shows howCastawaysfollows inClub Penguin’s footsteps.
Descriptions ofLEGO Star Wars: Castawaysputa major emphasis on competitiveLEGOminigames, which was another core aspect ofClub Penguin.InClub Penguin,sled races and Card-Jitsu would pit players against each other, sometimes earning then in-game currency as a reward. It sounds like these types of minigames will be part ofCastaways' core gameplay too. There’s mention of battling other players in something called the Hippodrome, potentially helping players earn certain rewards or resources likeLEGOstuds that help them complete other objectives or unlock certain items.
The plot ofLEGO Star Wars: Castawayshas some similarities to a majorClub Penguinnarrative too.Club Penguinplayers who joined the Penguin Secret Agency or the Elite Penguin Force could take on missions involving the antagonistic Herbert P. Bear, a warmth-loving polar bear determined to destroy the penguins' way of life by turning their island into a tropical resort.Castaways,in contrast, puts an emphasis on the stories of theStar Warsworld. Players will be fighting off a corruption that’s bent on destroying records of theStar Warsworld’s history. It’s up to players to get to the bottom of this mysterious corruption andpreserveStar Wars' legacyand foundational moments.
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways Seems Nostalgic
All of these elements suggest thatLEGO Star Wars: Castawaysbelongs to a style of game that a ton of video game lovers look back on fondly, even if that style isn’t very dominant in the game industry anymore. It does have one thing that could make it succeed in the long run, though:theLEGO Star Warsaesthetic.LEGOgames are still a common sight in the game industry, and in general, it remains an influential brand.LEGO Star Wars: Castawayscould draw fans thanks to its unique combination of an old game style with a new look. What’s more, theStar Warsbrand is expanding fast than ever under Disney, meaning there’s no shortage of visibility for products likeCastaways.
One wonders ifLEGO Star Wars: Castawaysmeans anything forClub Penguintoo. Disney must still be interested in this genre of games if it’s makingCastaways,so Disney givingClub Penguinanother chance might actually be on the table, depending on howCastawaysgets received. If nothing else,LEGO Star Wars: Castawayslooks like a title that could tide some fans over untilThe Skywalker Sagaeventually releases sometime next year. It’ll certainly be interesting to see howCastawaysimpactsthe future ofLEGO Star Warsgameswhile imitating Disney games of the past.
LEGO Star Wars: Castawaysreleases on June 01, 2025 for Apple Arcade.
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