Pogo History - Looking Back at 21 Years

Mayhem · September 05, 2020, 12:56:47 AM

Pogo History - Looking Back at 21 Years

It all began 21 years ago!

The year was 1999. The "Dotcom" boom had officially begun. Nearly every word in the dictionary was now followed by ".com" and everyone was scrambling to make it big in the new frontier. Only back then, Pogo wasn't yet Pogo. It was the Total Entertainment Network, or TEN.

The TEN brand did not last long. By September 1999, TEN transformed into the site you know and love - Pogo.com! Back in those days, we didn't have a huge variety of games, but a few were proving to be popular. Those few hits kept us going, but we needed help.

On March 1, 2001, Pogo was acquired by Electronic Arts. As part of EA, one of the biggest game companies in the world, we had the resources to make Pogo even greater.

Things really took off with the launch of Club Pogo on July 23, 2003. Club Pogo started with a humble roster of exclusive games - Pop Fu, Jungle Gin, Dice Derby, Squelchies and the divisive Greenback Bayou. That roster would soon grow to include some timeless hits, like Tri-Peaks Solitaire.

Badges and Challenges proved to be one of the most popular features to arrive with Club Pogo. Weekly Challenges (also known as Wednesday Challenges) were especially successful with players. For many, visiting Club Pogo every Wednesday to play the newest Challenges became a tried and true tradition.

Towards the end of 2005, we launched Premium Badge Albums. In 2006, the first Mix-n-Match Badges arrived. A new version of the Pogo homepage launched, along with enhanced profiles, and a new guestbook feature.

The next decade proved to be very productive. The game selection broadened dramatically, Minis arrived with an ever-expanding wardrobe, more and more challenges were added to games, and the community grew and grew. We even started attending conferences like the AARP Convention, the Red Hat Society and a few others. These events allowed us to meet and greet Pogo players from all over, which we enjoyed immensely.

In 2011, EA purchased PopCap Games (co-founded by an early Pogo employee!). This brought some new titles into the fold, including Bejeweled 3, Bejeweled Twist and Plants vs. Zombies.

In recent years, we've been working hard on updating our games library in response to technology changes across the Internet. With Flash and Java becoming obsolete, we embraced HTML5. This resulted in one of the busiest periods in Pogo history as we created new games and remastered dozens of classics like Word Whomp over the span of a few years - all while laying the foundation for a brand-new site.

Starting in September of 2019 we moved into high gear with the launch of Pogo Early Access. Pogo Early Access was all about bringing Pogo into the modern era, with a new streamlined logo and look, alongside the ability to play all the same games and Challenges across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile. This brand-new Pogo experience also coincided with new titles like Pogo Addiction Solitaire HD, From France with Love, Anagrams, Paranormal Destinations and Bookworm HD.

As Pogo Early Access took off, we introduced more and more exclusive games, including Jigsaw Treasure Hunter HD, Payday FreeCell HD, Winter Wonderland, Crazy Cakes 2, Jungle Gin HD, Snowbird Solitaire, Pogo Slots, Spades HD, Canasta HD, and Thousand Island Solitaire HD. We also added a few games from our good friends at PopCap, including Solitaire Blitz, Peggle Blast HD and Bejeweled Stars.

Along the way, we explored new ways to take on Challenges and earn Badges, including Badge Marathons and new events like Challenge Quest, Treasure Chase and Sweets Box.

After a year, Pogo Early Access simply became Pogo. The classic Pogo experience became "Pogo Classic", and remains home to older features and Flash-based games.

The new Pogo has expanded throughout 2019 and 2020, with popular features like Chat and new Pogi Constellations. With Pogis, we gave players more ways to earn rewards like power-ups, Badges and even Pogo Gems. Pogis also helped breathe new life into Daily, Weekly and Premium Challenges. All those victories now add up!

One thing's for certain: we're just getting started! We have lots more games, events, features and Badges on the way as we continue to improve the new Pogo. We're also more invested in the community than ever, reading every bit of feedback we can. Your passion and enthusiasm has been instrumental in shaping this journey.

Even after 21 years, we still have a lot of room to grow. We look forward to bringing you more updated classics, brand-new titles and sharing more ways to play, connect, and win together. As always, please continue to share your feedback and thoughts in the Pogo Insider blog comments and on the forums.

Thanks for all your years of support and making Pogo your home for games!

- Your Friends at Pogo

Squid · September 05, 2020, 09:01:14 AM

It's an interesting history and I'm sure they all work very hard. I just, sometimes, have a problem with customer service and their solutions to certain problems. It's because of that that I've turned off certain things with Pogo, like buying gems.

Mayhem · September 06, 2020, 12:38:20 AM

I agree, they could have handled some things differently. I do buy gems when there is a sale though.

Squid · September 06, 2020, 10:21:50 AM

There's a part of me that wishes I would allow myself to buy gems but I'm digging my heels into the ground!

LittleFawn · September 06, 2020, 11:35:33 AM

What is so wrong about buying gems? All websites make money in some way. I buy gems when I see a badge that I want or if there is a sale. They cannot make everything free. I see both sides. I see it like this if you want to buy gems then buy them. If you do not want them do not buy them.

Squid · September 06, 2020, 12:29:01 PM

Because there are at least a half dozen serious issues that Pogo turned a deaf ear to. I vowed I wasn't going to care about them any more than they care about their customers. That means I won't line their pockets one bit anymore. I have many years left on my Scrabble/Subway winnings. Yes, they are a business and should care about making money. It won't be mine if they continue to show that real issues don't matter to them.

Stinkerbell · September 06, 2020, 12:49:27 PM

Quote from: Squid on September 06, 2020, 12:29:01 PM
Yes, they are a business and should care about making money. It won't be mine if they continue to show that real issues don't matter to them.

What would it take for you to forgive, forget, and buy gems?

snowflower · September 06, 2020, 01:28:33 PM

Yes, it's a buisness and a very lucrative one. But so is the business of life. And when it comes to giving up something in order to stay above board, it ends there for me.
I don't buy GEMS because I can't ... so the altrenative for me is - I won't. But not all situations are the same. Good luck to those who can afford it and above all enjoy Pogo. It's still the best game site you'll find. Touche'

Stinkerbell · September 06, 2020, 01:53:44 PM

Quote from: snowflower on September 06, 2020, 01:28:33 PM
Yes, it's a buisness and a very lucrative one. But so is the business of life. And when it comes to giving up something in order to stay above board, it ends there for me.

For me Pogo is a hobby and as far as hobbies go, it's a cheap one!!

LittleFawn · September 06, 2020, 02:30:23 PM

Pogo is also a hobby for me and when I can I buy gems. I like some of the badges they make. Everyone will have a different opinion.Pogo had to make decisions like any other company did. Some things were for the better and there will always be a downside.

Squid · September 06, 2020, 03:32:22 PM

Quote from: Stinkerbell on September 06, 2020, 12:49:27 PM
What would it take for you to forgive, forget, and buy gems?

I don't think I really feel motivated to move in that direction. Like I said earlier, I'm finding great peace in letting go. Little by little, I stop caring more with time. I'm not going anywhere in the near future but there are things that I just can't participate in any longer.

Mayhem · September 08, 2020, 12:51:18 AM

Quote from: Squid on September 06, 2020, 12:29:01 PM
Because there are at least a half dozen serious issues that Pogo turned a deaf ear to. I vowed I wasn't going to care about them any more than they care about their customers. That means I won't line their pockets one bit anymore. I have many years left on my Scrabble/Subway winnings. Yes, they are a business and should care about making money. It won't be mine if they continue to show that real issues don't matter to them.

One can only hope that Pogo addresses these issues once the new site is finished.

Squid · September 08, 2020, 05:13:08 AM

I hope so.

snowflower · September 08, 2020, 09:08:01 AM

I hope so too

LittleFawn · September 08, 2020, 02:19:32 PM

I think Pogo has done a good job in some areas but not so good in others. I hope in time they will fix the issues that need fixing. I think they are trying to do better and gave had to do a lot to even get the new site running.

Mayhem · September 11, 2020, 12:34:08 AM

What I really want is for them to bring back more of the classic games.

Squid · September 11, 2020, 05:53:28 AM

Stinkerbell · September 11, 2020, 06:35:28 AM

Quote from: Mayhem on September 11, 2020, 12:34:08 AM
What I really want is for them to bring back more of the classic games.

I would still love for them to bring back perfect pair solitaire. But they haven't even mentioned that one. Or, if they did, I have forgotten.

Mayhem · September 12, 2020, 12:50:42 AM

No, they haven't mentioned anything about Perfect Pair Solitaire or Wonderland Memories .. yet. I just keep mentioning them in hopes that they'll get added in to queue. Those were fun games!

snowflower · September 12, 2020, 09:31:19 AM

Yes they were and I'd love to see them again too.. super CLASSIC!!