When the ‘Minecraft Theme Park’ community was created, it was meant to be a safe space for kids and families to play, have fun, and be safe. A happy place, free from personal information sharing, negativity and trolling. That is still the goal.
To date, that focus has worked. We have proven the model. It started 10 years ago, hidden in the back of a massive Creative map. That’s where the first Minecraft Water Park was created. Back then, it was obvious folks wanted something wholesome.
Then, in a rush of excitement and spontaneity, a train station was put on one end of a road and a castle on the other. And so was born the very first Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (and 1st actual Theme Park) in the history of Minecraft.
In the years that have followed, we have all seen the ‘Minecraft Theme Park’ community grow, flourish and expand. To date, if you use those search terms, you get 12 million results.
10 years is an amazing run for any game. Let alone something as niche as we’ve created. We have all been so lucky to find friendships, relationships, jobs, careers, and memories through the past decade together.
There are so many positive moments to choose from:
- Minecon 2012
- YouCubed
- Passing 1 million unique Guests
- PaxEast
- RobPlays
- Guinness Book of World Records
- Our Cast Members becoming real Cast Members
- Numerous published news stories
- Multiple podcasts
- 2 marriages
- and more!
Every single item above was a first for the servers we created. Every single one an important moment in the lives of our Cast Members and Guests, alike. We have helped shape so many of your lives, given so much to everyone and we’re so proud of that legacy. It will live in all our hearts for generations to come.
“It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true.” – Walt
Although we have taken some small contributions to assist in server costs, we have also debated the need for it. When this community started, it was originally intended to be 100% free. Sadly, server costs, popularity and events led to us taking contributions. Still, we made a rule: Nothing over $20 EVER! We have kept that promise. We have worked hard to avoid this turning into some corporate reality and keep you from feeling like you are being ripped off or nickle and dimed.
We know many of you understand that this does cost money. However, we have not bothered asking for or pushing contributions in months. Instead we have covered the costs internally. It was a test and it worked. We’re able to offer the same experience at a very low cost to ourselves without sacrificing quality. Moving forward we are considering alternative options for funds, but for now we’re able to cover it.
What others do to raise funds is up to them. We’re not judging, blaming or shaming anyone. Other servers may continue doing things the way they feel necessary. We’re not calling them out, dissing them or anything negative.
I want everyone to succeed. There’s room for all kinds of MAGIC. No one at Imaginears Club is here to be a gatekeeper. Nor should anyone be gatekeeping others. Everyone is and should be WELCOMED.
That said, we want to set this community on its heals. Mix it up. Give it a boost. Push it to change for the better.
And so, like any good series: It’s time for a reboot.
As Imaginears Club moves into the future, we’re embracing much needed change. For years, now, we’ve been working behind the scenes on other content. Content many others have also announced, after finding out what we have planned. (We love motivating others. Our ideas work, so why not?!) We are moving forward with those previously decided plans in the coming months. Although we’re not releasing exactly everything we have planned, today, you will be hearing about it soon enough. As a hint, the projects include a much larger media presence, a broader spectrum of content and creations and historical perspective that no other server will be able to compile or offer.
Now, as we progress into a new chapter, we feel we owe the community something that gave us so much. As our way of thanking all of you for joining us for all these years, we’d like to offer you a gift. A token of our appreciation.
So, when Imaginears Club finishes its Magic Kingdom map, we’ll be offering it for free as a public download for anyone to use as they wish.
Yes, you heard right: You will be able to download our Magic Kingdom map to do with as you please.
Although we are not restricting the map, we are going to release it without our plugins. (We will likely also not be including Command Blocks with intact data.)
What will be included?
- Map with Contemporary Resort, TTC and the Magic Kingdom
- Imaginears Club Resource Pack
Other than that, there are no restrictions and no catch. You get the full map, for free, to do as you please. We know tons of you will open servers using the map and we’re fine with that. Go crazy! Have fun! Invite your friends. Be your own Walt! In fact, if you like, you can get a server from our good friends at MCPro to host it on. Creative? Survival? Doesn’t matter to us. That’s up to you. Do with it as you wish.
But why?
Because you deserve it! Also, because we realize it’s time to move on from pretending we’re the owners of Disney’s IP and that, although we’re not done and have a lot planned for the future – ultimately, the Minecraft Disney Theme Park community is far too saturated. It peaked years ago. There’s plenty of creativity still happening, but the progress we were used to has stagnated. Partially limited by the tools we have at our disposal and also because so many have done the same thing. We’ve also seen an unfortunate increase in servers not adhering to the ‘Guests 1st’ mantra or being Family Friendly. We’re proud to have influenced so many, pushed boundaries and helped improve the experience for Guests on all servers. Now, we hope this gift will force much needed change.
Although some will argue it, the fact is that this community is slowing down. We’re ok with that. As we said, 10 years is a long time. We did what we set out to do. We changed, improved, and added a little MAGIC to a game of blocks. For that, we were rewarded with you, our valued Guests (plus a few World Records, VIP events and more. ?).
As it stands, we will continue to offer the map on our server, complete with plugins, rides, shows and more, updating it and adding new features, so you can get the full experience and remain within the community, if you choose to. We do plan on continuing with the other Parks, Attractions and Resorts, too.
We’re very excited to see what you folks can do with the map. We’re sure there will be new and interesting interpretations of the rides, shows and other features. Feel free to share your edits and improvements on social media.
We will announce the date of the download, soon. (As of today, we are at about 95% completion). Until then, you can keep up on the progress on our server: iears.us
We hope you will all enjoy this gift. It’s the best Magic Kingdom that’s ever been created in Minecraft. The most feature-rich, up-to-date, detailed, accurate and MAGICAL map ever built. Hundreds poured their love into every block and it shows. We know you will enjoy it.
Make sure to follow us, subscribe to our channels, and visit our server for more updates. We have so much planned. We’re so excited for the future.
Thanks and have a MAGICAL day!
