As most of you know, browser support for the Flash plug-in will be ending in 2020. When this happens, you will no longer be able to start up Chrome or Firefox and play Webkinz. At the end of 2017 we made a small announcement that we were developing a desktop version of our mobile application to deal with the end of browser support. That application was completed, but we weren’t very happy with it. Screens designed for small phones don’t look great when blown up on a large monitor, and more importantly, what was going to happen to great sections like the Curio Shop, Wish Factory and the Clubhouse that aren’t in our mobile version? We knew we could do better. So we dug deep, got creative, and we can now show you this…
This is the new Webkinz Desktop. This version includes everything that Webkinz has to offer – all the games, items, and features – because it IS Webkinz. Webkinz Desktop still uses Flash – do not delete the plug-in! – but doesn’t require a browser to play the game.
And Webkinz has never looked better! You’ll be able to play Webkinz full screen to see your pet’s rooms even closer. Complete challenges, enjoy all of our events, join friends in the park – it’s all there!
Webkinz Desktop is nearing completion. To ensure that we haven’t missed anything, we will be running a small private beta test in about three weeks. Once that is complete, we will release the application to everyone! Webkinz Desktop is currently for Windows only, but we do plan to make a Mac version available soon after.
We are very excited for the release of Webkinz Desktop, as it will allow us to continue to provide a great Webkinz experience for years to come.
I was scared we would only have the mobile version after 2019 so I’m so releaved and happy to hear this.
Super excited..can not wait :) :) :)
Thank you, Ganz!! I had a feeling you would announce this soon! Thank you for keeping up the hard work. =)
If the app relies on flash but flash is discontinued… what would happen if you had to get a new computer that would, inevitably, come without flash. Would you then be unable to play Webkinz?
While Adobe will stop developing and supporting Flash in 2020, they have not indicated that they will stop making it available. Even now you can download older, outdated versions of Flash from Adobe if you like. There are also many sources for old software on the web. We will ensure that we have links to the Flash player for as long as possible.
Playing without a browser sounds great, like it will cut back on any lag or slowness. But, I am concerned. If adobe is no longer supporting flash, won’t that make it more vulnerable to hacks? We always counted on Webkinz being a safe place for the kids to play. Adobe is suggesting games convert to HTML or another format. Is Webkinz still looking into or trying to rewrite the game into another format for longterm stability?
webkinz is not going to be that vulnerable if already the website is pretty safe, browsers themselves are not the most secure thing in the world either. This is a short term solution so then they can continue to have the game running; it is likely they’ll resume porting once it’s done. A majority of the site is not running on webkinz’s newer engine, in 9 months do you expect all of that legacy code to be ported? Once this hassle is over with, this isn’t the end for planning.
They’re still working on that, so don’t worry. =) This is only a beta test, which means it’s not the real thing yet.
Wow, this looks great!! :D I’m so glad you guys were able to make this new version of Webkinz include everything that the old one did; I would have really missed such things as the Park, Clubhouse, and Curio Shop, so I’m thrilled that those things will still be around!! ^-^ Thanks so much for all the effort and hard work you guys put into this to keep Webkinz going for a long time to come! I can’t wait to try it out in the near future! =D Just wondering, though, I know in the post it says that it’s currently only available for Windows, but will be available on Mac shortly after…I’m not sure how long it takes to do something like that, so I just thought I’d ask, do you think Webkinz Desktop will be available for Mac by 2020? Those are the only types of computers my family has, so I was just curious about that. :)
Huzzah!!!! This is really GREAT NEWZ!!!!! Thank you all for working so hard for us! I really don’t want to lose my Webkinz! Playing on Webkinz is my stress relief…my down time…my “me time”! I don’t stay on Webkinz for hours, but I do enjoy being able to pop-in and play when I have the time. Can’t wait to see the WEBKINZ DESKTOP! Sooooo excited! :-) Hugs to all the Webkinz Design Team!
I am so happy to hear this. Too many of my favorite games have closed over the years and I would be hard pressed to find another game that the whole family can enjoy. Thank you Webkinz team for working so hard to make sure that we don’t lose the game (and all it’s lovely features) that we love so much!
can’t wait for this!
This is good news! I was worried what it would be like and I’m relieved!
Well then, I’m looking forward to when this gets released… I’m glad the clubhouse and kinzville park is still there.
Agreed! I’ve been worried about the social parts of the program, which don’t show up in the mobile version. I am grateful I’ll still be able to see the friends I’ve made through Webkinz in the Clubhouse and Park! Kudos to the tech geniuses and Ganz for keeping those important aspects of the game in play!!!