The Spiral Games Universe or Spiral Universe,[1] also referred to as "The Spiral" or colloquially as the 101 universe, is a fictional shared universe and media franchise of video games and other media created by KingsIsle Entertainment. It mostly centers on the two sister MMORPGs Wizard101 and Pirate101, both of which were co-created by J. Todd Coleman and Josef T. Hall. The Spiral Games Universe officially debuted in 2008 with the launch of Wizard101, which went on to become a surprise mega-hit, garnering more than 25 million players by 2012. Later that same year, a spin-off MMORPG titled Pirate101 was launched, expanding the universe that had been introduced in the previous game.
Soon after Pirate101's launch, KingsIsle began a digital series for the game titled Rogue's Gallery, which expanded the lore and backstories of many of the game's characters and gave more insight into the history of the Spiral. A similar series for Wizard101, Ravenwood Roll Call, began and ended in 2015, though it only focused on the professors of Ravenwood as the title suggests. Other supplementary material like The Modern Adventures of Stallion Quartermane and My Wallaru Walkabout have been produced to promote new Wizard101 expansions.
The first canonical spin-off game in the Spiral Games Universe, Pirate101: Plunder Hunt, was soft-launched for mobile devices on October 25, 2023. Developed and published by KingsIsle sister studio Just Digital, it is a direct spin-off from Pirate101.
Aside from the main canonical media, KingsIsle has developed other media that is considered "non-canon" to the universe's main timeline. One such example is Abracadoodle, a comic series that began publication on the Wizard101 website when the game launched and is still going today. WizardBlox is a "match three" game based on Wizard101 that was made available from the Apple App Store in 2010. Grub Guardian is a tower defense game that was released in 2013 for both Android and iOS and could also be played on the now-defunct FreeKI Games. For Wizard101's Decaversary in 2018, KingsIsle published the 12-page Gamma Plans the Party.
History[]
In 2008, Wizard101 was launched. A tie-in comic, Abracadoodle, started being published around the time the game went live.
In 2013, the first video series, Rogue's Gallery, began on KingsIsle Entertainment's YouTube channel. The series was dedicated to explaining the backstories of both minor and major characters seen in the game.
In 2015, a second video series, Ravenwood Roll Call, began. Like the previous YouTube series, elaborated on the backstories of characters in The Spiral, this time the professors of Ravenwood School of Magical Arts.
Media[]
MMORPGs[]
RPGs[]
Mobile games[]
- WizardBlox (2010)
- Grub Guardian (2012)
- Pirate101: Plunder Hunt (2023)
YouTube series[]
- Rogue's Gallery (2013—2018)
- Ravenwood Roll Call (2015—2015)
Comics[]
- Abracadoodle (2008—present)
- Puppet Pirates (2012–present)
Article series[]
- The Modern Adventures of Stallion Quartermane (2021–2021)
- My Wallaru Walkabout (2023–2023)
Other[]
- Gamma Plans the Party (2018–2018)
Sources[]
Introducing Pirate101: Plunder Hunt on Pirate101.com (October 25, 2023) (backup link)