Hello penguins!

Today is October 13th, which means it has officially been 1 year since Club Penguin Zero first opened its doors for early access. For that, all I have to say is "Wow."

Club Penguin Zero has always been a passion project. I would stay up a lot of nights thinking and dreaming of what this game could be.

Its development was something I put so much heart into, working with people like JeffTheRock, and more as we continued to grow and expand our team to the incredible cast we have now. I couldn't be more proud of them, as well as the community they've helped create with all of you.

Anniversaries are all about community, and you may have noticed a certain pirate making his way towards the island once again in the telescope. Captain Rockhopper has been invited back and starting on the 24th, which was of course the original Club Penguin's anniversary, as well as the official launch of Zero, he will be hosting a grand party to celebrate and reflect on the year you've all made so wonderful. (With of course his own pirate flair!)

Captain Rockhopper represents a sense of discovery and adventure, and that is not only reflected in him, but really in all of us, as I watched you all try to unwind the secrets of this island, (some of them still not found!) and a sense of wonder of what's out there past our new horizon.

With that comes my own questions. What more can I do? And I think the best answer I could come up with is sharing the creativity and passing it on. The original Club Penguin, I think, made a bit of a mistake in how it handled the passing of the torch, from Rsnail, to Billybob, and so forth. While these were all great and awe-inspiring individuals, who pushed the boundaries and shaped such a beautiful world, of course it would always lead a sense of worry of what happens next once they move on.

I don't wish for that same to happen here. I will be retiring and letting the rest of the team have a brighter spotlight, and having this sense of familiarity given to you all as the game continues to grow (and believe me, it's going to grow a lot!) while I seek for what's next for me.

So, my last day as Creative Lead and of an official position will be on the 24th, and I plan to go out with a bang with all of you! So, you're invited to come online and join us for a big blow-out, where we can share memories, receive and send postcards, and more.

But I still feel like I'm leaving you empty-flippered. So I'd like to give you all a PARTINGGIFT with one of my favorite pins. It will be available until the end of the year, so December 31st. (Besides, this pin was a little hard to come up for a reason to give out any other way hint hint)

Okay, that's all the time I've got. Again, thank you so much, each and every one of you, and I hope I left a positive impact, in some way, even just a little bit, towards you. And if not, well hey, I'm gone anyway. ;)