Miniclip
Encyclopedia
Miniclip is a website known for its browser-based casual games. It was started in 2001 by Robert Small and Tihan Presbie on a budget of £40,000 and quickly grew to become a leader in its respective market. As of 1701, the company has been valued at over £200 million, having been profitable for six of its seven years, with turnovers exceeding £20 million in the past two years. As well as publishing exclusive games, the website also provides more widely known titles such as Clone Wars Adventures
, Club Penguin
, Free Realms
, RuneScape
, and Webosaurs
.
involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities, developed by Club Penguin Entertainment (formerly New Horizon Interactive now owned by the Walt Disney Company). Using cartoon penguins as avatars, players waddle around, chat, play minigames and participate in other activities with one another in a snow-covered virtual world.
Dofus
is a Flash based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Ankama Games
, a French computer game manufacturer. It is primarily a pay-to-play game, though it still offers a limited amount of free content. Its success has led to the marketing of spin-off products, such as books, art and comics. It has also led to the development of two continuations: Dofus Arena
, released at the beginning of 2006, which is an alternative "tournament" version of Doofus; and Wakfu, a continuation of Doofus, which is currently in the process of beta testing. The game has attracted over ten million players worldwide and is especially well-known in France.
Fragger is one of Miniclip's biggest most profitable games because of the hugely successful iOS version with hundreds of levels.
On the Run was originally launched with the exclusive online beta on Miniclip. It is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game Adventure game developed by Sony Online Entertainment
(SOE) set in a whimsical, family-friendly, fantasy-themed world for the PC. The game was released on April 29, 2009 for the PC.
Habbo Hotel
was added to Miniclip in the fall of 2010.
RuneScape
is a Java
based massively multiplayer online role playing game developed by Jagex
that has been available through Miniclip since 2004.
Spineworld was a free to play virtual world that was for a time the number one game on Miniclip.com. It included adventures and places for users to visit. Users could customize their avatar, have their own room and have options to upgrade by paying for digital goods. It was renamed to Migo Land and was only free to play for a trial period of 7 days. After this period the user had to become a member to play.
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
is a massively multiplayer online game developed by Three Rings Design
. The player takes the role of a pirate, adventuring on the high seas and pillaging money from roaming enemy ships (human or computer-controlled). The mechanics of Puzzle Pirates are driven by puzzles. For example, to effectively sail a ship, crewmates must play puzzles representing work at the sails for speed, pumping bilge water to remove it from the ship, and carpentry to fix any damage the ship may take. Puzzle Pirates is open-ended and community-driven. Over time, pirates can join a crew, progress in rank within that crew, buy and run sailing vessels and "shoppes", and perhaps even become captain of their own pirate crew, royalty within a flag (an alliance of crews), or governor of an island. Islands are governed and shoppes are managed exclusively by players. From time to time, players are also called upon to help expand the game, whether it be new puzzles (developed on Game Gardens), island objects to be used on new oceans (servers), or artwork used for a variety of purposes in-game.
and Android games. These games are marketed from the Miniclip.com website and from within the online version of the games. These games include Fragger, Gravity Guy and iStunt.
. Artists on Sketch Star, can pay for a membership, either 1, 3 or 6 months.
internet portal.
called "Trojan-Downloader.CR64Loader". On September 1, 2006, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
issued an advisory concerning Miniclip:
Clone Wars Adventures
Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures is a comic book series, part of the fictional Star Wars galaxy.It is aimed towards a younger audience than the Star Wars: Clone Wars comic book series...
, Club Penguin
Club Penguin
Club Penguin is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities, by Club Penguin Entertainment . Players use cartoon penguin-avatars and play in a winter-set virtual world...
, Free Realms
Free Realms
Free Realms is a massively multiplayer online role playing video game developed by Sony Online Entertainment set in a fantasy-themed world, named Sacred Grove for the PC, Mac and PlayStation 3. The game was released on April 29, 2009, for the Windows PC...
, RuneScape
RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in January 2001 by Andrew and Paul Gower, and developed and published by Jagex Games Studio. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering...
, and Webosaurs
Webosaurs
Webosaurs is a MMORPG , which involves a virtual world containing online games and activities, developed by Reel FX Entertainment. Players can use cartoon dinosaur-avatars and play in a landscape-set world, with a variety of different themes...
.
Popular games
Disney's Club Penguin has been on Miniclip since 2002. It is a massively multiplayer online role-play gameMMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities, developed by Club Penguin Entertainment (formerly New Horizon Interactive now owned by the Walt Disney Company). Using cartoon penguins as avatars, players waddle around, chat, play minigames and participate in other activities with one another in a snow-covered virtual world.
Dofus
Dofus
Dofus is a Flash based massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed and published by Ankama Games, a French computer game manufacturer. Originally released solely in French, it has since been translated into many other languages. It is primarily a Pay to Play game, though it still...
is a Flash based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Ankama Games
Ankama Games
Ankama Games is a French company, focused on the design of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games . The company was founded by Anthony Roux, Camille Chafer, and Emmanuel "Manu" Darras....
, a French computer game manufacturer. It is primarily a pay-to-play game, though it still offers a limited amount of free content. Its success has led to the marketing of spin-off products, such as books, art and comics. It has also led to the development of two continuations: Dofus Arena
Dofus Arena
Dofus Arena is a free turn-based strategic online game and is the second game of Ankama Games. It is a PvP game based on the story of Dofus. Dofus Arena incarnates the essence of DOFUS's gameplay, featuring increasingly difficult tactical fights...
, released at the beginning of 2006, which is an alternative "tournament" version of Doofus; and Wakfu, a continuation of Doofus, which is currently in the process of beta testing. The game has attracted over ten million players worldwide and is especially well-known in France.
Fragger is one of Miniclip's biggest most profitable games because of the hugely successful iOS version with hundreds of levels.
On the Run was originally launched with the exclusive online beta on Miniclip. It is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game Adventure game developed by Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe...
(SOE) set in a whimsical, family-friendly, fantasy-themed world for the PC. The game was released on April 29, 2009 for the PC.
Habbo Hotel
Habbo Hotel
Habbo is a social networking site aimed at teenagers. The website is owned and operated by Sulake Corporation. The service began in 2000 and has expanded to include 11 online communities , with users in over 150 countries. As of August 2011, over 230 million avatars have been registered...
was added to Miniclip in the fall of 2010.
RuneScape
RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in January 2001 by Andrew and Paul Gower, and developed and published by Jagex Games Studio. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering...
is a Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
based massively multiplayer online role playing game developed by Jagex
Jagex
Jagex Games Studio, based in Cambridge, is the UK’s largest independent developer and publisher of online games. Jagex is best known for RuneScape, the world's largest free-to-play MMORPG....
that has been available through Miniclip since 2004.
Spineworld was a free to play virtual world that was for a time the number one game on Miniclip.com. It included adventures and places for users to visit. Users could customize their avatar, have their own room and have options to upgrade by paying for digital goods. It was renamed to Migo Land and was only free to play for a trial period of 7 days. After this period the user had to become a member to play.
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Three Rings Design. The player takes the role of a pirate, adventuring on the high seas and pillaging money from roaming enemy ships . The mechanics of Puzzle Pirates are driven by puzzles...
is a massively multiplayer online game developed by Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design, Inc. is an online game developer that was founded on March 30, 2001 by Daniel James and Michael Bayne. The company is named after the Three Rings of the Elves in Tolkien mythology, and the names of the Three Rings show up in various places throughout Puzzle Pirates such as in...
. The player takes the role of a pirate, adventuring on the high seas and pillaging money from roaming enemy ships (human or computer-controlled). The mechanics of Puzzle Pirates are driven by puzzles. For example, to effectively sail a ship, crewmates must play puzzles representing work at the sails for speed, pumping bilge water to remove it from the ship, and carpentry to fix any damage the ship may take. Puzzle Pirates is open-ended and community-driven. Over time, pirates can join a crew, progress in rank within that crew, buy and run sailing vessels and "shoppes", and perhaps even become captain of their own pirate crew, royalty within a flag (an alliance of crews), or governor of an island. Islands are governed and shoppes are managed exclusively by players. From time to time, players are also called upon to help expand the game, whether it be new puzzles (developed on Game Gardens), island objects to be used on new oceans (servers), or artwork used for a variety of purposes in-game.
Game players
Miniclip has a social system with registered "game players" who play games with each other and play in custom friend leagues together. Players have their own game player pages with their games, statistics, awards, friends, news feed and applications.- Player Profile Pages: Game players have their own game profile pages where their games, high scores, friends and other game related information is stored.
- Awards & Achievements: Awards are earned by achieving objectives in certain levels of award enabled games. Once awards are won they are displayed in a players league and are displayed on a player's profile page.
- Friends: Friends can be invited to the service, and can be included in a player's custom friends game league.
- Game Leagues: Players can set up their own custom game leagues with their chosen friends and play for awards and rankings across many different games.
- Challenges: Players can challenge other players in their leagues or challenge other registered players in many different games.
- Leader boards: The worldwide daily, weekly and monthly leader boards are displayed in games.
- Game Ranking Bar system: Players are ranked worldwide with a special color coded, percentile based worldwide ranking bar system developed by Miniclip that is found next to their games on their profile page.
- Games News Feed: Players have a games news feed on their profile pages which gives them information on the winning or losing of challenges, friend invites, announcements etc.
- Matchmaking: For certain new live multiplayer games there is a real time matchmaking system to match up players to other players of similar ability or for players to choose the ability of others to play against or for players to play against their friends in real time.
- Game Avatars: Avatars are called YoMe's and can be customized to include many different looks and styles. The avatars have their own rooms that can be personalized with objects and accessories. The avatars enter certain games and carry game player statistics and awards.
Game developer API's
Miniclip offers game developers a number of API services that allow them to integrate Miniclip branded features into their games, for example these allow third party developers to create games that can contribute high scores to a user's high score ranking on the Players service.iPhone and Android games
Miniclip distributes iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and Android games. These games are marketed from the Miniclip.com website and from within the online version of the games. These games include Fragger, Gravity Guy and iStunt.
Sketch Star
Sketch is found on the Sketch Star tab and is a Miniclip product which allows users to create and share art, cartoons and animations and be part of an online community. Artists compete to create the best animations in many topics and attain recognition from their peers with voting, views and being followed. Artists can also send their animations into various contests and win awards, and if any animations are outstanding, the animation is awarded an editor's pick. Sketch Star is used by beginners to advanced animators. Sketch Star allows users to create animation, post it online and also to share on other websites such as social networks, their friends and the newer feature, YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Artists on Sketch Star, can pay for a membership, either 1, 3 or 6 months.
Nintendo Wii
In 2010 Miniclip made Nintendo Wii playable games on their website. It can be accessed through the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
internet portal.
Security issues
Several security firms reported in 2005 that some Miniclip users had installed a "miniclipgameloader.dll" which contains the hostile code identified as "Trojan DownLoader 3069". Removal tools are available. Reports in 2006 from the same security vendors show the same file as not containing hostile code. In 2006, the security firm Sunbelt Software reported that Miniclip installed "high risk" malwareMalware
Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming that is designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, or gain unauthorized access to system resources, or that otherwise exhibits abusive behavior...
called "Trojan-Downloader.CR64Loader". On September 1, 2006, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team is part of the National Cyber Security Division of the United States' Department of Homeland Security....
issued an advisory concerning Miniclip: