In 2007, Disney acquired the massively popular online game Club Penguin for $700 million. Shortly after the acquisition, my agency, Riser, was brought in to help Disney integrate Club Penguin into its digital portfolio.
UX/UI Design
Development
Programming
Agency Owner (Riser)
Executive Creative Director
Disney
2007
In 2007, Disney acquired the massively popular online game Club Penguin for $700 million. Shortly after the acquisition, my agency, Riser, was brought in to help Disney integrate Club Penguin into its digital portfolio.
Our task? Redesign and re-platform Club Penguin’s website to fit Disney’s standards—while preserving the charm that made Club Penguin such a beloved virtual world.
Club Penguin had a loyal user base and a distinct identity. Disney had a global platform, a strict brand system, and millions of users ready to explore their new acquisition. We had to bridge the gap.
To bring this project to life, our team handled every stage—from strategic planning to polished launch. It wasn’t just about making it look good—it had to work flawlessly for millions of users.
We knew this project couldn’t be treated like a typical redesign. It was a high-stakes integration of two powerhouse brands—Club Penguin’s loyal fanbase and Disney’s global digital infrastructure. Our goal was to create a seamless blend of both worlds while keeping the user experience fun, intuitive, and on-brand from every angle.
We rebuilt the user flow from the ground up—making it intuitive for younger users while ensuring parental peace of mind with built-in safety features and simplified navigation.
We created a custom design system that kept the heart of Club Penguin alive. The visual language combined the game’s playful aesthetic with Disney’s polish.
We helped strategize the marketing content and site structure so Disney could promote Club Penguin to their massive database without overwhelming new users.
Our team coded the full experience, QA’d it across Disney’s platforms, and supported the live launch rollout.
This wasn’t just a reskin. It was a full digital evolution—one that honored the original Club Penguin community while leveling up its infrastructure for Disney’s ecosystem. We helped turn a massive acquisition into a seamless user experience, built to last and ready to scale.
