POL:CP
Wiki101 strives to be the best source on the internet for Spiral Games Universe lore information. To support this goal, we have a Canon Policy that dictates what should or should not be considered canon based on official information from KingsIsle Entertainment as well as our own scholarly reasoning. While most lore information is sourced directly from Wizard101 and Pirate101, KingsIsle also has published supplementary content related to both games that contains canonical information and lore.
Basic information
What is considered canon?
KingsIsle Entertainment has identified their MMORPGs Wizard101 and Pirate101, as both existing as part of one, interwoven continuity known as the Spiral Games Universe, with characters and story elements from both games impacting the other. Official media related to these games, including the Rogue's Gallery and Ravenwood Roll Call series, are considered canonical supplements to the games. The officially canon media is as follows:
- Both of KingsIsle's MMORPGs — Wizard101 and Pirate101
- Spinoff games such as Pirate101: Plunder Hunt and Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story.
- The Rogue's Gallery series, which began in both text and video form but was later published text-only in the Pirate101 Monthly Newsletter.
- The Ravenwood Roll Call video series, uploaded on YouTube periodically in 2015 and included in the Ravenwood Bulletin.
- Any story information found on the official Wizard101 and Pirate101 websites or social media. This includes developer statements on the official (now-retired) Message Boards.
What is considered non-canon?
Since the launch of Wizard101 in 2008, KingsIsle has published Abracadoodle, a comic strip that follows two young wizards as they meet the professors of Ravenwood and learn about magic. Though the comic does include characters from the game, the main characters essentially fill the role of the player character. As this contradicts the game's story, Abracadoodle is deemed non-canon. This is the most notable example, but non-canon media is as follows:
- The Abracadoodle comic strip.
- The mobile games WizardBlox and Grub Guardian.
- The Puppet Pirates adventures featuring Boochbeard and Gandry.
- Gamma Plans the Party, which was published on social media in 2018 for Wizard101's Decaversary.
What is a reliable source?
When it comes to the Spiral Games Universe, nobody knows the lore better than the people that write it. Narrative Director Sam Johnson(Blind Mew/The Curator) and Primary Writer/Loremaster Mike Sears are the two biggest names when it comes to story, but there are also several other writers that contribute to each new release.
If new canon information is given by Johnson or Sears themselves, it should always take precedent over information from other KingsIsle staff members. In the case of a contradiction, the previously existing information on the wiki will be retained depending on the severity of the contradiction.
Officially published information on videos, articles, etc. is always fair game. If the information contradicts something from the games or from Johnson/Sears, it should simply be ignored. However it can still be included in the "Trivia" section of an article.
Certain promotional material like advertisements and non-KingsIsle reports/interviews may also be used as sources for canon information, as long as the information is supported by established content and isn't based in speculation.
What is not a reliable source?
Social media posts by other KingsIsle employees not directly involved with Narrative are typically not seen as reliable sources of in-universe canon information, except for some rare cases. Canon information (most of the time) will come straight from the canon media itself.
Official fansites and Extra Credits content creators, while supported by KingsIsle themselves, might not always be right about things. Any lore information presented from these avenues should not be taken at face value, and should be backed by official sources. An exception to this would be sponsored and/or collaborative content.
MMORPG canonicity
No quests or content in Wizard101 or Pirate101 should truly be treated as non-canon. Unless KingsIsle comes out and says that something shouldn't be part of the official canon, it can reasonably be assumed that everything is on an equal footing. However, there are some key exceptions to this.
Game mechanics
It's pretty obvious to anyone that a Battleboard is not formed every time a Pirate tries to do battle with their foes within the world of Pirate101. While the combat in Wizard101 is pretty "true-to-life" in terms of how it works in-universe comparatively, it still shouldn't be taken at face value.
For example, we know that the Helephant Spell exists, but is the number of Damage it causes on your target something that should be treated as canonical? Should a Blade boost the Damage of a Spell by exactly 40%? The obvious answer to these questions is no, probably not. If something is very obviously a game mechanic and not something that is referenced in lore, we can use common sense to deduce it doesn't exist in-universe. Think of it like a non-diegetic movie score. The characters aren't actually hearing it - it exists for the audience.
Class differences
In both games, there are differences in Quests depending on your School or Class. Any of these differences are considered apocryphal to continuity. A tabber can be used if one article has different information based on Class, though minor details should just be included in the Trivia section.
NPC dialogue
In some cases, there are characters like Daren Whisperwind who have clearly out-of-universe dialogue such as giving you a tutorial for a game mechanic. In these cases, the character themself can be believed to actually exist as well as any lore given about them, but the gameplay-specific speech should not be considered canon.