SpongeBob Town (lost build of cancelled massively multiplayer online game based on Nickelodeon animated series; 2012)

The logo for SpongeBob Town.

Status: Lost

The login screen for SpongeBob Town.

SpongeBob Town (also known as SpongeBob SquarePants Online) was an online multiplayer game developed by BlueArk Global and published by Gigamedia Limited in association with Nickelodeon. The game developed throughout 2011 and 2012, and had one open technical test between October 25th-27th, 2012,^[1] with the release set for sometime in 2013.^[2]

Despite the game being very far into development, the game was abruptly cancelled for unknown reasons and is now considered lost.

Premise

The premise of SpongeBob Town was formerly available on BlueArk's website, and it goes as follows:

"The Mayor's dark scheme has jeopardized the city of Plankton into a huge explosion. Mr. Krabs, seeing the big cash opportunity, gathers up people for a re-construction business. SpongeBob Online brings the world of SpongeBob to a MMO game experience. It's a social platform where many players can interact with each other while enjoying diverse games together."^[3]

History

Announcement

SpongeBob Town was first announced on June 9th, 2010, due to a partnership with South Korean-based BlueArk Global and Nickelodeon Asia to create a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG).^[4]

Jihee Nam, Vice President of Digital for MTV Networks Asia, stated in the press release announcing the game:

"Partnering with GigaMedia on the development of a SpongeBob SquarePants MMOG allows us to bring the residents of Bikini Bottom into a whole new world -- one that is tremendously popular in Asia and presents unlimited creative and business opportunities for the franchise."^[4]

Rumors of a SpongeBob SquarePants MMOG have circulated since at least 2005, with many people believing that the world of SpongeBob SquarePants would make a good fit for the genre.^[5]

The game was planned to release in various parts of the world, including China, Korea, Japan, India, Russia, Latin America and Europe.^[6]

Development

An image of an early version of SpongeBob Town. (courtesy of the SpongeBob Town Hunt Discord server.^[7])

The game was developed throughout 2011 and 2012, with the game taking shape as SpongeBob Town (known in development as SpongeBob SquarePants Online). The game was meant to bring the world of Bikini Bottom to life, combining it with the popular genre of MMOG's such as Club Penguin and Toontown.^[8]

The game would stay in development until October 25th, 2012, when a closed technical beta test was held for three days until October 27th.^[7]^[1] During this technical test, it was shown that the game was very complete, with most gameplay videos and images showing SpongeBob Town in a near complete state.

Gameplay

SpongeBob Town follows the various adventures and antics of SpongeBob SquarePants characters living in a city. The gameplay is very similar to other MMOG's of the time, being a virtual world where you can play games and have fun with friends.

SpongeBob in the My Farm area.

You are able to dress up your character in various ways at the Pearl Department, play various games and have fun at your own farm, and build the city to your liking.^[9]

Racing is also a large part of the gameplay, with players being able to customize their car to their ability. You are then able to race with players around the world on various courses and being able to use wacky items like Mario Kart.^[9]

Availability

Sometime after the technical test of SpongeBob Town, the game was abruptly cancelled for unknown reasons. No official statement was ever given by BlueArk, Gigamedia, or Nickelodeon on why the game was cancelled, as more development was planned for the game (such as the aforementioned second technical test).^[8]

The game has not been seen since the first technical test and has been considered lost. Attempts have been made to find SpongeBob Town, however due to the companies moving far away from the project and language barriers with Nickelodeon Asia, the game has not been retrieved as of the writing of this article.

Despite this, several images and videos of SpongeBob Town exist, mainly from the technical test of the game.^[10] These range from images/videos of actual gameplay (including a gameplay series of the first technical test uploaded to YouTube by user ultimatespongebob101,^[11]^[12]) images/videos used for promotional reasons, and other SpongeBob Town material. The original homepage for the game is also archived, though it does not function.^[13]

In 2019, a Discord server was made for the search of the game titled SpongeBob Town Hunt, with the leader of this search being YouTube user spongeis5.^[7]

Gallery

Gameplay Images

SpongeBob in the My House area. (1/3)
SpongeBob racing with a Jellyfish powerup in front of him.
SpongeBob in the My Farm area. (1/2)
SpongeBob in the My Farm area. (2/2)
SpongeBob in the Pearl Department area. (1/3)
SpongeBob in the Pearl Department area. (2/3)
SpongeBob and another character in the Sponge Square area. (1/2)
The map for SpongeBob Town.
SpongeBob in the My House area. (2/3)
SpongeBob customizing his car in the Garage.
SpongeBob and other characters in the Sponge Square area. (2/2)
An example of character interaction in SpongeBob Town.
A victory for Patrick in a race.
Squidward in the My House area. (3/3)
More customization options for your vehicle.
Patrick in the Pearl Department area. (3/3)

Promotional Images

A promotional image of the SpongeBob Town logo, showing SpongeBob standing behind it.
Another promotional image showing a racetrack.
An image pointing to there being a second technical test planned.
SpongeBob in a car.
Squidward in a car.
An image advertising the SpongeBob Town game and Facebook page.