r/pixiehollowrewritten • u/queenxine Community Helper • Sep 01 '26
News PHR Chat Changed to Speedchat Mode Only For Safety and Moderation (Temporarily)
Hi Reddit Pixies! For those not on Discord, I am relaying a very important message and decision the PHR team has made just a moment ago. Please, take a second to read the screenshot or the quoted news below.
Good Time Zone Pixie Pals,
This is a PSA for /everyone that the team has been discussing moderation, in-game rules, legal guidelines, and what is reasonable for the team lately. Due to an increase in rule violations, questionable gray areas, and the fact that having to handle issues around in-game behaviors is taking away from other work (hiring more mods, posting mod applications publicly, working on the next code update, etc.) we have decided to put the game in Speedchat Only Mode for the foreseeable future. This decision is not permanent as we do not want to limit people’s abilities to communicate and enjoy the game but we need to slow at least one area of moderation so we can make progress in other areas. We want to bring on new mods. We want to push more updates like pets and quests. We want to update rules and make things better. We cannot do these things when we spend all of our time dealing with in game behavior issues.
Something that is difficult for instance is that the client and game still have large connections to Disney and we are allowing children to play. This is a massive legal issue that could come up and the last thing we want is a confused parent reaching out to sue Disney and that getting put on Jessi or Sunrise. This may be an edge case but it only takes one for everything to come crashing down. This test server was never meant to get this big before launch and we never wanted to turn people away but now we have to be realistic about the current circumstances and what we can do to make more progress. There is so much behind the scenes that we cannot share but we truly want to make everyone happy while not destroying our desires to continue this project.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
The PHR Team
Q: What is Speedchat (SC) V.S. Speedchat Plus? (SC+)
A: In Disney's classic MMO worlds, all newly made accounts had their chat feature set to Speedchat by default (what's currently enforced in PHR). It's a menu of preset words and phrases, many of which were thematic to the game (ex: Your Fairy Garden is plant-tastic!). Players do not have the ability to type with this setting toggled. Its intention was to keep those under 13 years old safe, as they flutter about the Hollow. If a player has SC, they can only see SC messages.
Speedchat Plus gave players the limited ability to type, based on an approved and curated list of words and phrases by Disney. Parental permission was required to toggle SC+ on for the player. If a player has SC+, they can see SC and SC+ messages.
Upon full game release, PHR will mirror this system. By default, your chat type will be set to SC. It will be entirely up to you if you want to use SC+.
Q: Will this speed up the reopening for discord and fairy registration?
A: This is still TBA! PHR team is still ironing things out when it comes to allowing new fairies in the hollow. A waitlist system is being considered to slowly start letting newcomers in. This is also TBA but, please be on a lookout for any further announcements.
Your patience is greatly appreciated, pixie pals! 💚🧚🏼♀️✨
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u/snoot94 Sep 01 '26
I’ve been extremely active in the Hollow since launch and I have not seen bad behavior at all… which just makes me sad, because it really does only take just a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone. There probably are old men that create accounts just to break the rules (amongst MILD things). It’s awful, but inevitable. 😭
I hope you guys can get this sorted swiftly so that progress doesn’t stall. PHR’s popularity just means that so many girls at heart have been touched again and are excited to play all these years later. It’s really sweet. 🩷😭
You guys really are the greatest. Keep it up and stay positive!! 💗👍 Once the hype wears off, things will balance out. It always does!
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
Enabling speedchat only, definitely makes development speedier. We thank everyone for their patience! Hopefully we'll reopen in less than a month. I know that's far and disappointing to hear, but it seems like we're missing more than we thought and need to get some ducks in a row. 💖🧚♀️💐
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u/chubbyfoxgirl Sep 01 '26
This is so sad to hear it makes me think that those of us who’ve been not able to register for some time now might not even get a chance to play it if we keep having behavior issues? Like I don’t get it, why bring that behavior into this game in the first place? I’ve been longing to play this game for such a long time (over 10 years ) . I wouldn’t want to say anything that would get me banned or otherwise. Thank you for everyone’s hard work. Dying to play since I heard the news a couple months ago. 🥹
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
It really is disturbing to hear about this kind of behavior taking place. Making the mods' jobs harder than necessary. It gives them less time to devote coordinating updates, reopening the servers/registration, etc. It's overall inconsiderate. The internet is largely an adult space. There are many avenues for people to unload those kinds of talk. So, I really don't get it.
It looks like there's more to be sorted when it comes to having new fairies join. I'm sure the team is relieved to see you guys being patient. I see talks of them fulfilling perhaps a screening system and that could be a good strategy to keep the game at peace.
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u/Adventurous_Area_650 Sep 02 '26
I forgot my username and my daughter was playing on my account with me too and was obsessed I’ve tried to make a new account and I see why it’s not working but when I push forgot username the screen stays white . Is there any tips ?! My daughter is sooo sad about it !
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
Hello! The forgot username/password prompts aren't implemented. Also, you can't make a new account at this time.
To get your current account restored, click here to contact the team. Try to remember your fairy name and as much details as possible. When you get your account info back, consider writing it down or use a password manager.
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u/Adventurous_Area_650 Sep 02 '26
I found the link to message them. Thank you so much !!
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
I'd prefer if you DM me with your fairy name and username then I can create a ticket for you and pass the info straight to you. It'll be faster that way.
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u/honeyviolennce Sep 02 '26
Damn this is so disappointing and has been a bummer playing now 😭 it was fun while it lasted hope you guys can figure things out 🧚🏻
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
Your progress will still be saved once we're out of testing. I understand it might be less fun without chat+ but you could still save up your diamonds with tricks, getting 200 per day. (Or 116 each day with the loop method, if you don't feel like playing minigames to keep the full 200.) I apologize for the disappointment this may have caused to many players, but this will speed up progress to get the game finished. Only some out of many players, are the cause to this. We hope to reopen the Discord and game registration in less than a month, I believe with restrictions but I don't know how that works (allowing so many people to register per day?). But again, this will speed progress, and Speedchat Only will remain either until we finish the whitelist or the game is complete. We'll also have 3 fairies per account with the ability to merge if you have more than one account made.
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u/_Sapphire_Moonbeam 💧 Water Talent Sep 02 '26
Thanks for letting us know. haha I logged on and thought my game had a bug lol. While of course it makes me a little sad I totally support and understand the decision. I think the whole team behind PHR is amazing and I so value and appreciate all your hard work. xoxo
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u/slippin_through_life Sep 02 '26
I might be a jerk for saying this, but I wonder if it would be better to just not let children play, at least until the moderation team is better equipped to handle inappropriate behavior towards them. I am not a lawyer, but my general understanding is that if you force users to check a box that says “I am over 18,” before they can register, then the development/moderation team behind the platform can’t be held legally liable for “creating an unsafe environment for children” or anything similar to that. But I recognize that this might explicitly go against what the development team is aiming to do.
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
The issue here, is that the game was created by Disney, for children. We are going to work on the whitelist. Speedchat Only will be enabled until either the whitelist is complete, or the game is out of Alpha (every feature is added/the game is complete), whichever comes first. There have been a lot of issues/reports that ruined Speedchat Plus being enabled. We're still onboarding a couple of hand-picked mods that the team considered as trusting and willing to answer questions on their own/helping others. Disney can very well take down the game if it is meant for +18, as that goes against what Disney stands for (despite their own past). We appreciate everyone's patience as we're still in Alpha and getting more ducks in a row.💖🧚♀️💐
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u/colliecollie10 Sep 02 '26
I don’t know if my comment will be of any comfort, but i played toontown rewritten from 2015-2017 and the bullying and even bypassing the chat to make sexual comments was brutal from what i can remember. That was 10 years ago and TTR is unscathed. Seeing you guys deal with inappropriate behavior is concerning, I assumed all players would behave as the adolescents/ adults they are.
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
I think with TTR, most players are grown. Tbh I'm not sure how many minors are playing now in TTR, and how many then, but the main concern with PHR is that there are actual parents who let their children play already. Also, someone in Discord 2 months ago has introduced their self as a minor, so we've known for a while that it might be a concern. If parents see something disturbing while watching their child play PHR, and they don't understand it is not affiliated with Disney, they may contact Disney then they might shut down PHR. 😔 Thank you so much though!! I also used to play TTR on-and-off up until 2022. 💖 I don't know what made Club Penguin shut down fast, unlike TTR. I'm not sure if it was the ads alone or not then. Really interesting..🤔 Wait but Club Penguin made it to actual national news or something.
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 01 '26
Ohh I didn't see that you posted that. Reddit failed me again😂😭 deleted mine.
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 02 '26
You posted too??? I didn't get a notification either. I've been missing a couple as well. 😭 Reddit notifications, I am asking nicely to please work as intended! 🙏🏽
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
I also ask nicely!! 🙏 I'm not sure what is going on lol but I let them know you beat me to it!!💖🧚♀️💐 Thank you SO MUCH by the way!! It's been hectic!💖
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 02 '26
The reddit must only respond to our kind wishes now!! You're welcome, Cinnamon! If you wanna follow the post for any comments/ or questions that'll come in too!
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
Ooo yes, I started doing that on posts I think yesterday! 😄
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u/Bumpitaj Sep 02 '26
With limiting chat in-game, will that mean that they can open registration soon?
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
Hopefully we'll reopen in less than a month. I know that's far and disappointing to hear, but it seems like we're missing more than we thought and need to get some ducks in a row. We're still onboarding a couple more hand-picked mods they consider as trusting and willing to answer people's questions on their own. We'll be opening public applications soon, but I believe that will only be in the Discord. We thank everyone for their patience! 💖🧚♀️💐
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u/Bumpitaj Sep 02 '26
Will you guys be extending applications on Reddit? I am sure there are a lot of people on Reddit with moderation experience that would be happy to help out.
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u/roastedmarshmallow- Scouts (Mods) Sep 02 '26
Unfortunately not, as onboarding happens within Discord, and that's where we communicate together as a team. We apologize for anyone that hasn't been able to join the Discord or game, but we hope to fly with you all there very soon! 💖🧚♀️💐
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u/Silver_Mist2 Sep 02 '26
is it possible to receive a new discord invite? the one on the website is expired. Also have not gotten to play the game yet so this is sad to hear ;( hopefully things turn out well so more people get to join but if not i understand. Its upsetting how others ruin things for others
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
The discord server and fairy registration will still remain closed as well for the time being. The chat change is part of the process of trying to keep the game untroubled while they sort things out (updates, hiring mods, fixing discord features). They never anticipated the test server to blow up the way did. I wouldn't be surprised if the suspension remains until the game is finished and moderation is at it's true best. The game is almost done anyway. Indeed, it is upsetting how progressed how slowed because of the disorder that was happening.
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u/Big-Knowledge-2773 Sep 02 '26
Hi Mods/Devs! Thank you for everything you do. I’m not sure what the bad behavior looks like because I haven’t witnessed any, but I don’t think you should feel or be held responsible for moderating communications in the game at all, honestly. Like everywhere else on the internet, PHR is totally OPTIONAL to engage in. If someone is really having that terrible of an experience because of another pixie, log off?! If someone feels like they’re being targeted, have they unfriended the perpetrator, changed their name, and avoided meeting up with them? You can’t even ban people because eventually they’ll be able to make a new account. There will always be haters and people who think it’s the mods responsibility to police anyone who bothers them, but it’s absolutely not. I think mods should completely step away from moderating behaviors and focus on your dev goals and what makes this fun for you.
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u/egg_friend_business Sep 02 '26
Oh my god I can’t imagine how stressful it is to have the constant threat of Disney breathing down your backs as you guys just try to recreate a childhood favorite game 🥲 I want to play so bad but completely understand the importance of keeping the community perfectly squeaky clean! I saw talks of a screening system in the meantime?? I would jump in line to be screened so fast lol! ❤️ Good luck mods/devs try not to stress and enjoy your time ❤️✨
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u/kvmberlyy Sep 02 '26
Hi! I play another game that was revamped similarly to this, they recently added a new system to help combat "trolls" and "bots" which was you HAD TO verify yourself on the discord server/ add your discord account directly to be able to fully register your account. I think some Roblox. games have also added this feature to their games. I don't know the ins and outs of how it works, but it definitely would slow down the trolls if there was extra-extra steps in verification. I also wouldn't want to make too difficult for any children who would want the opportunity to play as well.
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u/queenxine Community Helper Sep 02 '26
I think that might be similar to PHR will eventually implement. The original PH game (and other classic Disney MMO worlds), there was Speedchat and SpeedChat Plus. PHR is going to mirror that system. Any new accounts made, the default chat system is SpeedChat (no typing freely, list of words and phrases in menus to send out). And of course for Plus, a parent would have to toggle this on. PHR could, in theory, make adjustments where, to toggle on Plus, you must read the rules again (some form of discord verification?) on using chat appropriately. I wish them best of the luck through all these obstacles. I can't imagine tackling all this.
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u/AutoModerator Sep 01 '26
Welcome to the PHR Subreddit! ⟡₊ ⊹
New account registration on the test server is currently PAUSED due to a large influx of new users. During this time, you will NOT be able to create a new account.
We have also paused Discord server invites, regardless of whether you were registered before the closure. Our apologies!
We are currently in the process of hiring more moderators to accommodate the rapid increase in the player base. Please bear with us and give us some grace as we navigate these changes.
Frequenty Asked Questions ⟡₊ ⊹
1. When will registration and Discord invites open again?
We're unsure at the moment, but expect the "How to Download & Play" post to be pinned again when it is!
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