Meteor Games

Older News Since 2007

All the news we have regarding Meteor Games and our new releases, will be posted here!

Meteor Games' Island Paradise Surpasses 1 Million Fans on Facebook, More Than 10 Million Members! 14th January 2010

"Island Paradise debuted on Facebook in August 2009, and quickly rose up the ranks of the most popular games on the social networking site. In the months since launch, the game has garnered 10 million unique players, with nearly seven million monthly and more than two million daily active users - a clear testament to the game's player retention rates. In addition, the Island Paradise Facebook Fan Page recently hit a significant milestone: surpassing one million fans..."

Read the full article on IGN here.

Little Rock Pool Update 12th January 2010

Many thanks to everyone that has been helping us test Little Rock Pool. We have received some great feedback and are going to be implementing a lot of performance and gameplay changes early next week. In the meantime, we have added all sorts of new decorations including a diving helmet and rather fetching red coral arch.

Lost Cat and wandering Alpacas! 8th January 2010

Island Paradise update - Grab your friends because you're going to need some help finding your lost Cat. Hopefully along the way you'll find a new home for a wandering Alpaca.

New Mystery Crates 31st December 2009

We've just released our newest Mystery Crate in Island Paradise. Some lucky islanders who open crates may find the exclusive new animal called the "Golden Goose" inside!

Fifth Most Influential Game of 2009 30th December 2009

Island Paradise has been voted as the 5th most influential game of the year on Inside Social Games.

"Island Paradise went the other direction, building a strong and simple farming title, then improving it by adding a colorful layer of high quality content along with a well integrated theme. By combining this with knack for community building that came from their expertise as the creators of Neopets, they built a strong mid-tier hit that has Meteor Games poised to be a break out company in 2010."

Read the full article here.

Happy New Year! 28th December 2009

News Years on the islands is just around the corner. In preparation for this event we've added fireworks and special clothing items!

New Expansion - Tropical Haven 22nd December 2009

Island Paradise update - Today we're introducing the latest island size expansion: Tropical Haven. The unique shape of these islands will allow players to produce larger harvests than ever before!

New Game - Little Rock Pool!! 17th December 2009

Our second Facebook game has just been released. Now you can have your very own virtual rock pool and create a$ underwater paradise. Tend to your fish, help them grow, add plants to harvest and a whole host of decorations to make your Little Rock Pool be the best!

Fishing in Island Paradise 16th December 2009

Looking for something more to do on your Island Paradise? Now you can cast a net off the shoreline and try to catch rare and exciting prizes.

A Winter Wonderland 12th December 2009

A winter storm has blown in, temporarily covering everyone's Island with snow. We have also released a bunch of new decorations, clothes and a new limited edition crop - Mistletoe!

Level 40 and Peacocks! 4th December 2009

We have raised the level cap to 40 in Island Paradise and there are tons of new things to unlock including the rather impressive Peacock!

Island Paradise Gear 2nd December 2009

A few days ago we launched the Island Paradise store on Zazzle - www.zazzle.com/island_paradise. Now you can show everyone how much you like Island Paradise with an awesome mug, t-shirt or pin!

Island Paradise Advent Calendar 1st December 2009

Each day you log into Island Paradise during the month of December you will get a special prize from the Advent Calendar.

These prizes can be gold or exclusive decorations. The more times you log in, the greater your chance of getting one of the rare items!

Thanksgiving Sale 26th November 2009

For this weekend only we are holding a special Thanksgiving Sale in Island Paradise where everyone who gets Meteor Credits through offers or purchases will get a 25% bonus! Don't miss out! This special offer will only last through November 29th.

Thanksgiving Madness 25th November 2009

We have just released lots of new Thanksgiving themed items in Island Paradise including Turkeys, new outfits and decorations.

Meteor Games in the press 24th November 2009

Two great articles mentioning Meteor Games have gone out today, one in the UK-based Independent, and the second on Inside Social Games. Exciting stuff!

Neopets Creators See New Success on Facebook With Meteor Games - Inside Social Games, 11/24/09
The fastest growing Facebook games of the moment - The Independent, 11/24/09

More Tiki Tools and the Lilikoi 13th November 2009

Four new tools have been added to Island Paradise that will make tending your island easier - the Tiki Seeder, Tiki Harvester, Mega Seeder, and Mega Harvester.

Also, some lucky islanders will find Lilikoi seeds have been carried to their island by strong tropical winds. These seeds are traditionally offered to neighbors as a show of friendship, they are also extremely valuable so be sure to keep an eye out!

Looking for a fun place to work? 12th November 2009

We are looking for the following positions. For more information, check out the full job listings on our Employment page.

Mega Plow! 8th November 2009

Two new tools are now available to use - the Tiki Shovel and the Mega Shovel. These nifty creations will make plowing those large islands much quicker than before. Go to Island Paradise to see for yourself!

You can find these tools in the boosts section of the shop.

New Rare Crop! 6th November 2009

Dragonfruits are now live. This lucrative crop will only appear for a few days when weather conditions are just right, so don't miss out! Also look out for new flowers and Apple trees on sale in Island Paradise.

Lost Dog! 12th October 2009

When you are playing Island Paradise, you may discover a collar on your island.

As you pick it up, everything comes flooding back to you. What happened to your puppy! Maybe your friends can help you find it...

New Items Released! 10th October 2009

We've just released some cool new items - a bell to keep your goats safe from thieves, the Durian and Star Fruit trees and some new flags. Next week we'll hopefully be releasing some spooky Hallowe'en decorations. Visit Island Paradise to see for yourself!

Fences Galore 3rd October 2009

All sorts of fences and fence posts have been added to Island Paradise.

Far cooler than an Ostrich! 30th September 2009

We have released lots of new updates to Island Paradise, including the Little Reef Island upgrade, new flags and the colourful Cassowary.

One Million Players! 21st September 2009

This weekend Island Paradise reached it's first million players. To celebrate we took everyone at Meteor who worked super hard making Island Paradise out to lunch at a local resturant - delicious!

Talk Like A Pirate Weekend 18th September 2009

To celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day (19th September) we have launched a whole range of special edition items for Island Paradise including lots of cool decorations and a new crop. These items will be available to buy all weekend, so get them while you can!

Island Paradise twitter and a surprise 11th September 2009

You can now get all the latest Island Paradise news and updates via twitter - www.twitter.com/MeteorParadise

Also here is a sneak preview of something that could soon be coming to an islan$

Meteor Games is expanding! 4th September 2009

Meteor Games is looking to expand our staff. Here is your chance to work for a really fun, creative company that is really going places! We are currently looking for the following:

For more details about the position and job requirements, check out our jobs page.

Weekend Server Upgrades 4th September 2009

This Saturday (5th September) we will be taking Island Paradise down for a few hours. We will be installing some new machines (really awesome big ones!) and performing some maintenance on our existing eqipment.

We estimate this will last for approx 4 hours from 10am PST until 2pm PST but *fingers crossed* it will be quicker than that.

New Game - Island Paradise 25th August 2009

Grow crops, keep animals and build your dream home in your own private island paradise!

Island Paradise is in beta so there may be a few hiccups here and there. More features will be added over the coming weeks, check out the Developer Page for the all latest bug fixes and updates.

VPN Maintenance 24th August 2009

VPN will be coming down for maintenance on both Facebook and www.vpnwars.com. We are expecting this to take approx two weeks, but we will keep you updated with our progress on the forums.

Note - 02/09/09 More details have been added to the VPN down page explaining the current situation.

Dead Man's Chest 19th June 2009

New Game - Can you find Powderkeg Pierce's lost treasure before the time runs out? Best of all there are ten new achievements to unlock!

As well as Dead Man's Chest, this new update includes:

New look homepage
Face slot unlocked
Additional Meteor Credit items including a Ninja Blindfold and Pirate Hooped Earrings
Loads of furniture
Plus lots more...

Send free gifts to your friends! 14th June 2009

Forgot to buy your friend a birthday present? Know someone who has just started and want to give them a helping hand? Now's your chance! You can send something to any number of your friends once a day and the items you can send change daily.

Player Housing and the Citadel of the Roc 12th June 2009

You can now get your very own house, for free! Head back to your starting zone to claim your home, then decorate it as you please with furniture, wallpaper and all sorts of accessories from the furniture shops.

Citadel of the Roc
A new node has opened up on Phinea Island, where the secretive Roc's Claw organisation is based. They have need of willing viking, ninjas and pirates, are you up to the task?

This update includes 11 new locations, over 140 new quests and tons of achievements to unlock!

Return of the Meteorcam 12th June 2009

After the last camera went adventuring/got misplaced/lost in the flood we are proud to announce Meteorcam 2.0! Now you can watch all the crazy and not-so-crazy goings on in the Meteor Games office. Click on the Meteorcam link in the side bar to see what is happening right now!

Wheel of Cats 5th June 2009

Once per day you can now try you luck at the Wheel of Cats. You could win all sorts of things including a rare pet, gold and more energy. As with all our games, there are lots of achievements for you to unlock also :)

Mew!

June's Limited Edition Items Out Now! 1st June 2009

The new monthly specials consist of the stunning greek-inspired "Mythic Set" and a rather splendid Golden Clockwork Scarab Pet. Remember these items will only be available during the month of June. Get yours while you can!

Now With Added Tutorial Power 30th May 2009

In response to lots of feedback that VPN was a little hard to get into at first we have added a tutorial that will take you through the game basics. There is also an achievement for completing it. Don't worry, if you want to go back and do the tutorial just to get the achievement, you can. Just head over to your starting island and go to the new nodes that you will see.

Last chance to get May's limited edition items 29th May 2009

This weekend is the last time you will be able to purchase the Ornate Kitsune Mask and the Crouching Tiger pet. We will be retiring them from the Meteor Store at the end of the month and you will not be able to purchase them again.

New limited edition items will go on sale in June.

Revenge of the Jackatrice! 28th May 2009

The peaceful town of Emerald Acres is being ravaged by terrifying half-chicken, half-rabbit beasts and only you can save it! Head over to VPN now and you could earn new achievements and a baby Jackatrice pet for your effort!

Run for your lives!

Games galore and UI changes 21st May 2009

After the launch of not one, but three switch games yesterday, we are proud to announce the return of Plaice Your Bets. There are lots of achievements to unlock, including some next-to-impossible secret ones.

We also made some changes to the UI, the most noticeable change being the new unit frame (the box with your health, energy etc in it). Hopefully this will make things easier to find and help everything look less cluttered.

New Forums 19th May 2009

Our new forums are now live. You can chat with other players, brag about your latest achievements or ask for energy requests with ease. Why not sign up? Its free!

These are still in development, so expect to see them getting better all the time. If you signed up with the old forums on www.twinskies.com you will still be able to use your existing log in details on these new forums.

Edit - a new colour scheme is now in place and you can now use custom VPN smileys and avatars.

Phinea and level 20! 15th May 2009

A new island, called Phinea, has just been released and we have raised the level cap to 20. This egyptian themed area has masses of quests, new items, cross-race chat rooms and much more! Head over to www.vpnwars.com now for more details...

Chat rooms added to VPN 1st May 2009

You can now chat to other players in real time while playing Vikings, Pirates and Ninjas. Each starting town has its own tavern that you can go to if you want to talk to other players.

Once we have ironed out all the kinks with these initial rooms, you will see chat rooms popping up all over the place. There will even be shared chat areas where Vikings, Pirates and Ninjas can interact with each other.

For now you can emote to players, and chat to them. We will be adding new features including simple games, the ability to friend/ignore someone on the spot and items to buy and use in chat areas over the next week or so.

Tell Your Friends About VPN And Get Cool Stuff! 1st May 2009

Now when you tell your friends about VPN, you can earn Fame points. Fame is used to buy certain items, unlock emotes and generally give you access to a wide range of customization options that would otherwise be unavailable.

You will continue to earn Fame points whenever your friend does anything significant, for example, you will get an extra fame point every time your friend reaches level 5, 10, 15 etc.

As well as Fame points we also give you 10% of all Meteor Credits your friend purchases for three months after they start playing. What are you waiting for? Start spreading the word!

Sneak Preview 28th April 2009

As most of our news lately has been about VPN, we thought it was about time we showed you how things were going with some of our other games. Here is a sneak preview of some of the artwork from Bitten and Twin Skies.


Bitten	Twin Skies

Bitten - Life isn't easy in the Big City. For starters, there's the noise. And the pollution. And the crime. And... the Vampires.

Twin Skies has a much more fantasy feel, set in a mysterious world inhabited by Humans, Fauns, Elves and Merfolk. That description sounds really lame, but imagine a cross between Labyrinth, Dark Crystal and Roald Dahl and you will be close.

We also added a new game to VPN, Legends of Laundry has returned, this time with a Viking theme.

Meteor Credits Launch 25th April 2009

We have just released our virtual currency called Meteor Credits. This currency will be usable in all of our games to purchase a wide variety of character updgrades, virtual goods and to gain access to special features/content. You can obtain Meteor Credits by direct payment, or by participating with a variety of offers.

In Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas you can use Meteor Credits to unlock cool hairstyles and colours in the Barber Shop, change your character's name or gender, or to purchase special pets, equipment and other items in the Meteor Store.

Special Event: Walpurgis Festival 24th April 2009

Our second Holiday Event has begun. This special festival will run from April 24th to the 30th. There are all sorts of new themed quests to complete, items to collect and achievements to earn.

Walpurgis is traditionally a Viking festival, but don't worry, you can still participate if you are a Pirate or a Ninja. Can't let the Vikings have all the fun now can we?

Big Updates For VPN 24th April 2009

A new area, the Sunning Plateau has been unveiled on Hydra Island. In order to unlock the Sunning Plateau you need to become neutr$ with the Lizrus Legion faction.

The winners of our first Fan Art contest have been announced. Congratulations to everyone who was chosen, if your art was not selected, you can always enter the next contest.

We have made lots of little improvements all over the place. You will notice the map now updates your location immediately, you will no longer be logged out after 30 minutes and the energy timer will no longer go down to zero.

For the full details of everything we have changed, head over to VPN and click on "Patch Notes".

New Quests, Clothing Shops and Ninja Squirrel.. 22nd April 2009

Our second mini-game has been added to Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas featuring a brave young squirrel assassin. Can you guide him through the trees to his target?

There are some clothing stores that have opened up across the land selling all sorts of apparel to make your character look unique.

We have also added some new quests, fixed lots of bugs, added a photo booth and launched our first beauty contest. All in all a pretty major mid-week update. (As always check the patch notes for full details)

Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas is one month old! 22nd April 2009

It has been exactly a month since we launched Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas, and what an exciting month that has been!

We have added all kinds of features including mini-games, contests, new areas to explore and way too many bug fixes and minor tweaks to mention.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us test the system and keep making VPN better and better! You guys rock!

Hydra Island Release 10th April 2009

Adventurers can now explore areas such as the lush Dragontail Forest, the beautiful Cavern of a Thousand Lights and the wind-battered Cliffs of Ador in the first "expansion" of VPN.

The level cap has been raised to 15, we have added more than 70 quests and a new faction (The Lizrus Legion) has been introduced.

Be sure to read the patch notes for full details.

Beware the Jackatrice! 9th April 2009

Our Easter event is now live. Are you brave enough to collect all the Jackatrice's eggs, saving the world of VPN from a terrible fate? Click here to find out more...

Invite your friends on Facebook 8th April 2009

Think VPN is as awesome as we do? Can't wait to spread the word? Curious who will choose viking, pirate or ninja? If you are playing on Facebook you can now send an invite to all your friends.

What are you waiting for? Send an invite today!

Mobile Wallpapers 4th April 2009

Take VPN with you wherever you go with these great new Mobile Wallpapers. They should work with most mobile devices. So if you have an iPod or a... umm... whatever the other ones are, surf on over to our "Media Gallery" page within VPN!

VPN is now on Facebook! 4th April 2009

Click here to play! There are probably a few bugs here and there still (it is beta) but we will be fixing them as soon as we hear about them.

Note: If you go to the application from Facebook it will create a new account for you.

We Are Hiring! 3rd April 2009

Meteor Games is looking for the following positions. If you think you would be perfect for the job, why not send us an email? Full job descriptions and requirements are listed on the Jobs Page.

VPN - More Random Updates 3rd April 2009

We have just released some more updates to "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas". Three new areas have opened up and a major questline where you build a mighty boat has been added. You will need a boat if you are going to leave the nooby islands :)

VPN Mid-week Update April 1st 2009

Added a few new features and fixed some bugs in "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas".

New Achievement! Squeeze the Ducky 10 times to earn the Quackers achievement.
While stats were put on some items before, now they're working
Faction Shops are now live. For Pirates, you'll see The Crooked Hook, Ashes and Dust, and Fancy Fish
Achievements now pop up on the flash canvas when you get them
There are more desktop backgrounds to choose from on the Media page
There is now a faction-themed messenger pigeon to deliver your in-game mail
Item Requirements on the quest page now have tooltips
You can now sort friends on the friends page by class

VPN v1.0.2 Patch Notes 30th March 2009

We have just released a major update to "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas". Here are the highlights, feel free to check the patch notes in game for the full detailed list of changes.

We've added more ANIMATIONS! You may notice that your character has more than just a heavy-breathing idle animation now.
Stats now work on items. If you're lucky enough to find an item that has stats then you'll see how cool it is too!
Faction Shops are now live. Look out for Fantastic Sashi's, The Crooked Hook and more!
Achievements now pop up on the flash canvas when you get them
Big change to achievements. If you earn an achievement and there are any achievements in that chain that happen before the curr$
Unique items are now in the game. If an item is unique you can't buy another one from a shop if it's anywhere in your inventory (including up for auction)
Most pets will now bind to you when you equip them. The store price for most pets has also been raised

Achievements have been added to VPN 29th March 2009

You can now earn achievements when you play "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas" at www.VPNWars.com! Maybe you should try and find yourself a pet...

VPN v1.0.1 Patch Notes 27th March 2009

Our first major game Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas has been in beta for a week and we have just released our first major content update. This includes tons of bug fixes and some pretty major new additions.

Important Stuff

You can now create up to three characters on your account. One pirate, one viking, and... maybe another viking! :) The link to the character creator is through the "Your Character" page. You can also switch between them at any time!
By popular demand character names are now UNIQUE. We'll still give you some fun suggestions (all of them will probably be taken), but you'll be able to choose your own name.
The time it takes for your energy to be restored has been lowered to 15 minutes from 20. Features

Other Features

You can now delete a character.
We've implemented mod_deflate on our servers, that basically means that all the web content is zipped up so pages should be loading about 40% faster!
You are now able to update your attributes. You're allowed to increase Strength, Intelligence or Agility by one point per level
The energy bar will show you a timer to the next time you get energy back
You can equip any pet regardless of level
The 'Your Character' page has been graphic designerised and things are where they are supposed to be.
The friends list has been blessed with the gift of ... Pagination! You can also sort your friends by level.
Flash movies now have a preloader!
You can switch audio on and off using the audio icon in the Meteor Bar and on the front page
You can add a friend to your friends list by typing in their character's name
Restocks will now happen about 6 times an hour on average
You can now view the contents of your bank from any page, wherever you are in the world
We've set up a page for Buddy Icons, you can find it from the media link on the front page. More coming soon!
Fixed a bug where the layout template wouldn't render when you tried to access the site

VPN Is Now Live! 21st March 2009

You can now play "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas" at www.VPNWars.com! This$ the open beta release, so things may not be perfect, but we will do our best to fix any bugs as soon as we are aware of them.

Important Note: - For now please click the Meteor Games logo at the top of www.VPNWars.com in order to sign up.

Play Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas

We have lots of really exciting new features that we will be adding to VPN in the coming months, this is just the very early beginnings :)

VPN Update 20th March 2009

The VPN launch will have to wait until tomorrow as we have some issues that we can't fix tonight. Sadly we need the help of some folks that have left for the evening. The Twin Skies website will be down until then also... sorry :(

So close...

Makewords Update 19th March 2009

We have just released a big update to Makewords. This should fix all the achievement and challenge bugs that you may have been experiencing. Check out the Makewords news page for more details.

VPN Preview 1st March 2009

Our second game "Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas" (or VPN for short) is due for beta release this coming Friday. At last you will be able to help decide who is the true victor in the much documented epic battle between Vikings, Pirates and Ninjas!

Here is a preview of what our vikings, pirates and ninjas look like. (and yes even blood-thirsty warriors can have cute pets)

Ranks Added To Makewords 27th February 2009

You can now earn ranks when you play Makewords. There are 40 different ranks to unlock, each one gives you a unique title depending on your Makewords prowess.

Click here to start playing Makewords on Facebook.

Meteor Games Launches First Game! 17th February 2009

Our first game entitled Makewords has just been released on Facebook. It will be added to the directory shortly, but for now you can access it directly by clicking here.

This is the first of many games that will be released over the coming weeks. These games will be available on social networks, and on stand-alone web pages in the near future. Keep checking back for updates...

Meteor Games at PAX! 28th August 2008

Some of the Meteor Games crew will be at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this weekend. If you are close to Seattle, pop by the convention centre for a demo and a chance to get hold of an exclusive Salabounder soft toy.

Major Website Update! 18th Jun 2008

We have added a lot of extra information to our webpage including some facts about our management team and a behind the scenes glance at what it is like to work at Meteor!

Vegwars! 1st April 2008

We're extremely excited to let you know that we've released the first preview of the game we've been working on for the past 4 months. Click here to find out about VEGWARS - a Flash MMORPG with a great characters and an exciting twist!

Yes, yes, it was an April Fool. We'll still probably have Future-Paladins in one of our games though.

PAX 2008! 2nd Mar 2008

We will be making a big announcement at Penny Arcade Expo this year (August 29th-31st) so if you are in the Seattle area, be sure to stop by our booth.

We're hiring! 10th Feb 2008

If you want to work in the game industry, love games and think you have the required skills, then check out our Jobs Page.

Sneak Peek! 14 Jan 2008

We've just uploaded the first taste of the MMO that we're not working on. Check it out!

Hurrah! 22nd Oct 2007

Today is a big day for Meteor! Construction is mostly complete and it is the first day we are able to work in our newly renovated office!

Meteor Games is live 1st Oct 2007

The Meteor Games website is now live.