| Developer: | Various |
| Publisher: | PF.Magic, Mindscape, Ubisoft |
| Genre: | Virtual pets |
| First Release Version: | Dogz and Catz |
| First Release Date: | November 1, 1995[1] [2] |
| Latest Release Version: | Petz Beach Petz Countryside |
| Latest Release Date: | October 14, 2014 |
Petz is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. Developed by PF.Magic, original Petz (Dogz and Catz) has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[3] The series has grown to over 22 million copies as of 2011 since coming under Ubisoft.[4]
The original Petz games — and — were developed by PF.Magic, released in 1995 and 1996 respectively. They reused the graphics engine used in the game Ballz. Rob Fulop developed the first title in the series, Dogz: Your Computer Pet, following the controversy surrounding his previous title Night Trap and with the desire to make a game that was "so cute and so adorable that no could ever, ever say it was bad for kids". He claims to have consulted a shopping mall Santa Claus to understand "exactly what kids wanted" who informed him that puppies were a popular gift request every single year, leading to the idea of a virtual puppy.[5]
After earning revenues of $8 million in 1997, PF.Magic was acquired by The Learning Company's Mindscape division for $15.8 million in 1998.[6] In 2001, Ubi Soft (Ubisoft, since 2003) acquired the entertainment division of The Learning Company, granting Ubisoft exclusive publishing rights to 88 titles, including Dogz and Catz.[7]
Ubisoft would publish Catz 5 and Dogz 5, in 2002, as the last games following the original style, before putting franchise on hold for three years. After releasing Dogz and Catz for the Game Boy Advance in 2005 and 2006, Ubisoft announced their intention for a "revitalisation" of the series, in direct response to the success of Nintendo's Nintendogs.[8] Many of the successive games were localised games from Japan or Europe in origin and were simply rebranded with the Petz name.
In Dogz: Your Computer Pet and Catz: Your Computer Pet, the player choose a dogz or catz to adopt and name in the breedz and gender of their choice as a puppyz or kittenz. After a period of time, the petz become adults. In Petz 3, Petz 4, and Petz 5, adult petz can breed to have more kittenz or puppyz of their own. Cross-breeding can create different types of petz, called mixed breeds.
There are a number of toyz, food and water bowls, and treatz available. Petz can learn tricks with positive rewards such as petting and treatz, or trained not to do something using the punishment (water) spray bottle. Petz must be looked after properly; abused or neglected petz may run away.[9] [10]
Players could share their petz with others who had the game via an email. Each version allowed the importing of petz from all earlier versions. There is also a camera feature, permitting snapshots of petz to be taken and saved.
Later versions of the games included a Petz Web Fun Pack, Petz Publisher and a Petz Player web browser plug-in, allowing players to publish their Petz online in playable webpages.[11] The Petz Publisher does not work anymore, due to the fact that the website has been remodeled with the newer Petz games by Ubisoft.
The initial games were limited to dogz and catz, but additional animals were also introduced. These animals include Pigz,[12] Bunnyz,[13] Monkeyz,[14] Dolphinz,[15] and Hamsterz,[16] some of which received their own games.
Users learned how to reverse-engineer the system, and began producing additional breedz, toyz, playscenes, clothes, and developer tools for the games, as permitted by PF.Magic, Mindscape, and Ubisoft.[17]
| Game | Developer | Publisher | Release date | Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catz and Dogz: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic, Virgin Interactive Entertainment | |||
| Oddballz: Your Wacky Computer Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic, Virgin Interactive Entertainment | 1996 | PC | |
| Catz and Dogz II: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic, Mindscape | 1997[18] | PC | |
| Catz and Dogz 3: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic, Mindscape | 1998[19] | PC | |
| Catz and Dogz 4 | PF.Magic | Mindscape Entertainment | 1999[20] | PC | |
| Catz and Dogz 5 | Studio Mythos | Ubi Soft | 2002[21] | PC | |
| Dogz | MTO, Backbone Entertainment | Ubisoft | |||
| Catz | ImaginEngine, Powerhead Games | Ubisoft | 2006[22] | ||
| Hamsterz Life | Ubisoft | 2006 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Horsez | Ubisoft | 2006 | |||
| Petz: Dogz 2 and Catz 2 | Digital Kids | Ubisoft | 2007 | ||
| Petz: Horsez 2 | Phoenix Studio | Ubisoft | 2007 | ||
| Petz Vet[23] | Sensory Sweep | Ubisoft | 2007 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Petz: Wild Animals: Dolphinz[24] | Magic Pockets | Ubisoft | 2007 | Nintendo DS | |
| Tigerz | Magic Pockets[25] | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Bunnyz | Digital Kids | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Monkeyz House[26] | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Petz: Horse Club | Ubisoft | 2008 | Wii, PC | ||
| Petz Rescue: Ocean Patrol | Magic Pockets | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz Rescue: Wildlife Vet | Ubisoft | 2008 | Wii, Nintendo DS | ||
| Petz Rescue: Endangered Paradise | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Ubisoft Montreal[27] | Ubisoft | 2008 | |||
| Dogz | Gameloft | 2008[28] | N-Gage 2.0 | ||
| Petz: Dogz Pack | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Dogz Fashion | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Petz: Catz Clan | Ubisoft | 2008 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Y'sK[29] | Ubisoft | 2009 | Wii | ||
| Petz Fashion: Dogz and Catz | Powerhead Games | Ubisoft | 2009 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: My Baby Panda | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2009 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Hamsterz Superstarz | Ubisoft | 2009 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Petz: Hamsterz Bunch | DK Games | Ubisoft | 2009 | PlayStation Portable | |
| Petz: Dogz Talent Show | Ubisoft | 2009 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Petz Nursery | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2009 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz Nursery 2 | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2010 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Horsez Family | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2010 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Catz Playground | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2010 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz: Dogz Family | Ubisoft | 2010 | DSiWare | ||
| Petz Fantasy: Moonlight Magic | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2010 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz Fantasy: Sunshine Magic | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2010 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz Fantasy 3D | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2011 | Nintendo 3DS | |
| Petz: Puppyz & Kittenz | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2011 | Nintendo DS | |
| Petz Beach[30] | Ubisoft | Ubisoft | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS | |
| Petz Countryside[31] | Ubisoft | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
The original software was generally well received, with The Salt Lake Tribune giving 1995's Dogz 4 out of 5 stars,[32] and PC Zone and Entertainment Weekly giving Catz an 8/10 and B+ respectively.[33] [34] However, later games where less well received, in particularly compared to other virtual pet experiences that were available, with the 1999 Game Boy Color games negatively compared to Tamagotchi,[35] [36] and 2005's Dogz for the Game Boy Advance, being seen as an attempt to ape Nintendogs.[37] [38] [39] [40] By 2007, Joystiq recommended buying games in the series only for "people you hate".[41]
The Petz series is also notable for the online community that grew around it,[42] which game designer Nathalie Lawhead speculates is part of the reason for its success and enduring legacy.[43]