Wizard101

The fictional universe of the Spiral is divided into many worlds, each of which has multiple areas. The worlds of the Spiral are islands suspended in midair within spheroid atmospheres. For example, the first world in the game, Wizard City, is a university city based around the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, which players join at the start of the game.

Players can unlock all areas temporarily via a paid subscription or unlock each area permanently with the game's premium currency "Crowns". A wizard first starting the game must choose a school: Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Life, Death, or Balance, each complete with their own set of unique spells and playstyles.

Merle Ambrose, the headmaster of Ravenwood school, summons the player character to the world of Wizard City. He explains that Malistaire Drake, the school's former Death Professor, has been driven mad by the death of his wife Sylvia and pursues unknown but dangerous methods to resurrect her. As the Wizard foils Malistaire's plots throughout Wizard City, they learn that Malistaire seeks the ancient "Krokonomicon" on the world of Krokotopia.

The wizard travels to Krokotopia to find the Krokonomicon, only to learn that an expedition from Marleybone has taken it to their world. The Wizard travels there and aids detective Sherlock Bones in foiling the schemes of the O'Leary gang, in exchange for access to the Krokonomicon. Meanwhile, Malistaire breaks the infamous thief Meowiarty out of Newgate Prison in exchange for retrieving the Krokonomicon. The Wizard pursues them and defeats Meowiarty, but Malistaire escapes with the Krokonomicon.

The development of Wizard101 began in 2005, soon after the founding of KingsIsle Entertainment. Company founder Elie Akilian hired J. Todd Coleman, who served as creative director of the game from its launch through 2013. The game entered open beta on August 6, 2008, and it launched successfully on September 2, 2008. On August 25, 2010, it was announced that Wizard101 would be released in foreign territories later that year.

Wizard101 launched a European Beta version on December 16, 2010, and then released the game on February 15, 2011, in partnership with Gameforge. This eventually included releases of the game in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, and Greek. It was announced on August 17, 2011, that KingsIsle Entertainment and Taomee Holdings Limited had an agreement to launch Wizard101 in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Wizard101 Taiwan officially launched on April 27, 2012, with the others to follow.

According to KingsIsle Entertainment's press releases, the game has experienced a steady growth in the number of accounts: 2 million in April 2009, 5 million in September 2009, 10 million players by June 2010, 15 million by January 2011, 20 million by July 2011, and 30 million by July 2013. As of November 2014, there are currently about 50 million accounts created.

The game currently scores an average of 77.5% from ratings on GameRankings. GameShark reviewer Toni Dimayuga noted the game's overall ambiance and graphic setting as well as the overall fun nature of Wizard101 in the pro column, while the combat (in particular defeats) and the perceived restrictive nature of chat were criticized.