Celebrate Black History Month!
Learn about Black History Month, meet some of our community’s Black content creators, and stick around for a sneak peek at how KingsIsle Entertainment is creating more diverse options for player representation!
Learn More About How to Celebrate Black History Month!
At KingsIsle Entertainment, we recognize that Black History Month is more than just a celebration; it is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and grow. Every year, the founders of Black History Month, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), establish a theme to assist participants in acknowledging advancements and history in a variety of categories. This year’s theme is “African Americans and Labor,” honoring the vital contributions of Black labor and acknowledging the injustices faced along the way.
The theme highlights the diverse forms of work performed by African Americans, from agricultural labor during slavery to modern-day professions. It also emphasizes the historical impact of Black labor in building and shaping the nation, while recognizing the challenges and injustices, including exploitation and employment discrimination.
To learn more about “African Americans and Labor,” please visit the 2025 Black History Theme Executive Summary by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Meet Some of Our Featured Content Creators this Month!
Ultimate Speedster
Ultimate Speedster has been a Wizard101 player since 2011 and started his content creation journey in 2019. His content revolves around dual school walkthroughs, pack openings, quest helping viewers, and way more. His love for the game comes from the storyline and the immersive world the game takes him into. His main school is Fire and his favorite world in the game is Empyrea.
Check out Ultimate Speedster’s recent content on social media:
Richard Unicorn Caller
Richard Unicorn Caller has been playing Wizard101 since 2011 and started posting content around 2014. Richard is known for reporting news about the game, covering community discussions and more. Richard’s favorite school of all time is Life, he loves healing and supporting others. He does a lot of gear builds focused on outgoing healing. His favorite in-game activity is using the Team-Up Kiosk and helping others across the Spiral. His favorite world of all time is Wysteria!
Check out Richard Unicorn Caller’s recent content on social media:
Kario
Kario has been a Wizard101 player since the beginning, and started streaming last year, in August 2024. Streaming Wizard101 led Kario to finding some amazing wizard friends, and an awesome community who helped him understand the game so much deeper and revealed just how truly dynamic and entertaining Wizard101 can be. He felt like more players who played as kids needed to know that the game was still around and better than ever! Kario’s favorite school is Death because of the necromancy spells, the lore, the outfits, and more. Kario’s favorite world is Polaris because of the storyline, the characters, easy navigation, XP and more.
Check out Kario’s recent content on social media:
ZeusDevo
ZeusDevo is a streamer who has been playing Wizard101 since Dragonspyre was the final world. He started making content in 2016. ZeusDevo mostly makes PvP content and streams on Twitch. His favorite school is Balance, and his favorite world is Azteca!
Check out ZeusDevo’s recent content on social media:
GenRPG
GenRPG is a creator who makes content for Wizard101, Roblox, and more. Gen has been a Wizard101 player for about 15 years and started making content two years ago. Gen’s favorite school is death, she has tried other schools but always goes back to death. Her favorite world in the game is Azteca because of the quests and the atmosphere.
Check out GenRPG’s recent content on social media:
A Sneak Peek at More Player Representation!
We at KingsIsle Entertainment aim to make our games a safe place where players can feel both included and represented. New ways to style your Wizard are coming soon and will be purchasable with gold! We can’t wait for players to try on these new looks in the future, and we look forward to hearing your feedback!
Government & Organization Resources
February may be when Black History Month occurs, but it’s ALWAYS a good time to celebrate and educate ourselves on the meaning behind it and its impact. Below are resources that we encourage you to look into this month, or any month!
Library of Congress – Black History Month (blackhistorymonth.gov)
A central hub for Black History Month resources, featuring exhibits, historical archives, and educational materials from multiple U.S. institutions.
National Archives – African American Heritage (https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans)
Explore primary source documents, records, and research guides on African American history in the U.S.
African American History from the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/africanamericanheritage/index.htm)
Learn about historical sites, landmarks, and key figures in African American history through the National Park Service.
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) (asalh.org)
Founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, ASALH promotes the study and celebration of African American history and created Black History Month.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (naacp.org)
One of the leading civil rights organizations in the U.S., advocating for racial justice, education, and equality.
With Love,
The KingsIsle Team
Heya everyone,
Long time, no see. For those who don’t know me, my name is Kayly and I’m the Head of Marketing for all of KingsIsle and gamigo’s PC & Console games. While I haven’t been able to directly engage with the community as much as I used to, rest assured these games and this community are always at the top of my mind.
I started playing Wizard101 back in 2013 when I was a bright-eyed optimistic high schooler. I fell in love with the game’s lore and the ability to wield spells with friends across the globe. My love for the game inspired me to write guides and become a community advocate. The more I became involved, the more it allowed me to see all of these incredibly creative niche parts of the community. My time spent running pet derby tournaments showed me the competitive resilience that existed within a relatively small side system. My time with Mercenaries101 allowed me to think more strategically and work with all sorts of different personalities and people who learned at different paces. I eventually went on to write on my own blog as well as MMORPG.com, where I got to flex my writing chops and share my excitement for the game that had given so much to me.
Now …. why am I telling you all this? It’s because my history with these games and this company is deep rooted. If not for Wizard101, I honestly don’t know where I’d be or if I’d even be living in Texas at all right now. These games, this community, this experience, is what drove me to pursue a career in the video game industry in the first place. I’ve come a long way since my beginnings at KI in QA, but oh boy has it been such a fulfilling journey. I’ve gotten to spearhead many projects that were born out of things that I wanted to see when I was a player – plushies, a vinyl record, completely branded world updates, and a heartfelt 2D 15th anniversary animation to name a few.
But I don’t do these things alone.
It takes a lot to support games as big as Wizard101 and Pirate101. The marketing team works closely with the dev team to make sure we’re highlighting features that the team is excited about. The web team was a huge part of helping to launch those new microsites that we did for Novus and Wallaru. The team at large has become closer to the community over the years – that is dev, marketing, community, and more – interacting and soliciting feedback with more regularity, so we can make the Spiral the best it can be together.
We don’t plan on any of that changing, and we want to make sure the community knows our commitment to supporting them continues. I’ve recently started to take a more direct role when it comes to community communications and strategy. I’m coordinating with Emma personally and myself and others on the team are working on supporting her with anything she needs. We ask for your patience and understanding if there are some temporary delays in the process.
The community is the beating heart of these games and I’m committed to working with both the community and the internal team to make sure that your concerns, feedback, and thoughts continue to be heard and are taken seriously.
So here’s what will be changing for the time being:
- Your main point of contact. Anything that you would’ve sent to Hawkules or Sparck, please direct to Emma instead.
- Who you see in the discord. New faces will be around to support both you and Emma. Please give a great big KI welcome to any new names you might see!
- That includes me! I’ll be poking my head in every so often to support Emma and the team.
Here’s what won’t be changing:
The team’s commitment to you and the games. I’m not the only community member who has made the jump from player to employee over the years. People like Mia, Mercedes, Mesa, and more across all different departments are a huge part of making things happen here at KI, and numerous new features and projects have kicked off because of what they bring to the table. Other KI employees have even been at the company 10+ years! Our team cares about Wizard101 and Pirate101 deeply and we don’t plan on stopping our momentum anytime soon. Please keep chatting, giving feedback on any new content, and sharing awesome community creations! We love seeing it and sharing cool things we see with the dev team.
I’m so excited to have an opportunity to return to where my journey started – interacting more often with the community to support all of you and everything you do (it’ll be a really nice break from the constant pouring over spreadsheets and data!).
This community quite literally changed my life, and I want to do everything in my power to do you and these games justice by helping to pave a successful path forward.
All my best wishes,
Kayly (Vanessa Mythdust)
Thank you to all the amazing Extra Credit content creators for helping us celebrate Wizard101’s 16th Anniversary last month!
Extra Credits is a content creator program for Wizards and Pirates! The program is about bringing together dedicated content creators and providing them with fun initiatives for the community.
Our September objective was to celebrate Wizard101’s birthday. We asked our creators to show us why they love playing a game. Participants had the option to talk about their favorite mounts or pets, decorate a house for a birthday party, submit artwork, and more.
We received many great submissions this month, and we would like to give a huge shoutout to all our creators and highlight some of our favorites. Your creativity and passion make our community truly special!
Highlights
Objective: Celebrate Wizard101’s 16th anniversary by creating a piece of content on why you love playing the game!
“I keep coming back to this game because I love the story, the characters, I love the jokes, I love the gameplay. I love the community and the people who make this game what it is. It’s the nostalgia I have when I’m playing this game. Whether I’m having a great day, or a really horrible day. I love to just get into the game, say hi to some people or just wander around and quest by myself.”
-Genevieve Moongarden
“There’s no better time to play the game while it is every growing and changing it’s a great way to de stress after a long day of school or work. And of course, don’t forget you can play with your friends, family, and meet new players along the way!”
–UltimateFirefly
“What got me back into the game the most was KingsIsle’s determination to expand through player suggestions content creator suggestions, it is downright what I thought could not be achieved.”
-GrowlingPanda
“This game has been honestly a big part of my life; it’s been sort of a constant. It’s been there just forever, and it will continue to be there forever.”
–IceGold
Thank you again to our Extra Credit creators for going above and beyond to inspire and elevate our community. This certainly does not include every wonderful creation and in future updates we will include other creators. We appreciate the countless hours and effort you invest in creating content. Keep up the amazing work!
We are excited for the October Extra Credits objective which will be a celebration of Pirate101’s 12th anniversary! We are looking forward to seeing the content that our creators make.
If you are not part of the program but enjoy seeing new community content, follow program activity on your favorite social media sites by visiting #Wizard101ExtraCredits, #Pirate101ExtraCredits, #Wizard101 and #Pirate101.
Be sure to check out the new Extra Credit playlist on YouTube, and the other Extra Credit submissions below for even more fantastic content!
- Emily Night @w101emily
- Zaepha @zaepha
- TheFrenzyGamer @TheFrenzy_Gamer
- Kukki4u @Kukki4u
- Alyssa @alyssalove217
- Ultimate Speedster @U_Speedster
- exp613 @exp613
- Chris DeathRider @ChrisDeathRider
- Ali Lulz
- wysteriakilos
- MissCourtneyOlivia
- Just Fang
- Wave @loztwave
- Toby @wizardtoby101
- jenny jenjen @jennifrre
It is with great sadness from all of us at KingsIsle that we pass along the information that Nigel Lambert, voice actor for Headmaster Ambrose, has passed away.
Wizard101’s voice acting is a pillar of the game: these performances have always been the primary key that transports us to the wondrous world of the Spiral. Headmaster Ambrose may be the most important voice in the game – it is Ambrose who guides players through the tutorial, who helps us find our way through the story, and who always supports us as a friend and mentor. For a game that was such a big part of childhood for so many, it feels like we’ve lost a grandparent.
Our mundane world may have lost a wonderful soul, but Nigel’s spirit still echoes through the Spiral. Every time you log in to Wizard101 and hear his voice, remember the talented source. As long as we hold on to these memories as one Spiral community, the great Nigel Lambert lives on.
When we were writing this tribute, several team members wanted to express their condolences directly in some way. Please see below some of those responses about Nigel and his work:
KingsIsle Team Quotes
“Nigel was a gifted actor and a wonderful person to work with. The consummate gentleman, yet with a bottomless well of playfulness and whimsy. His enthusiasm and compassion helped create the very essence of Headmaster Ambrose: later dialogue was inspired by the wonderful character he created in his first readings for us. Despite being a working actor for longer than any of us directing him had been alive, he was never difficult or untrusting of direction. And then there was his talent. It takes a special actor to be able to turn dry, formulaic informative text into rich, purposeful prose. The joy and love you heard in Merle’s voice was not mere show: it was real.
Nigel was Headmaster Ambrose.
And we will miss him dearly.” – Sound and Narrative Teams
—
“When we first heard Nigel Lambert’s audition for Merle Ambrose, we knew immediately he was the voice of our beloved Headmaster. I only got to work with him once directly, recording VO lines, but it was a memorable experience to hear Nigel work his magic (and get to hear his ACTUAL voice, which is very different from Merle!). We’re truly sad to hear of his passing and we at KI will always remember him!” – Leah “Professor Falmea” Ruben, Chief Operating Officer
—
“Nigel Lambert’s influence on Wizard101’s players has been felt for 16 years. We mourn this beloved actor’s passing and honor his special contribution. His kind and encouraging voice helped build the community of players we have the privilege to support.” – Associate Producer II, Product Department
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“I remember watching television as a kid and being a little zoned out because a commercial break was happening, I then heard our esteemed headmaster say “[e]nter a world of wonder.” My ears perked up and I zoned right back in because I was mesmerized by what could possibly follow that hook. What came after that was a lifetime bond with an amazing game, where I would meet many friends, and even come to work for KingsIsle Entertainment. If I didn’t hear Nigel’s voice that day, I’m not quite sure where I’d be, but I’m forever thankful that he sparked my interest. May he rest in peace.” – Maceryn, Marketing Specialist
—
“Headmaster Merle Ambrose is one of the first characters you meet in Wizard101. The moment I heard his voice, I knew I had entered a truly magical place. I hope Nigel Lambert finds peace in part through our shared memories of his great work.” – Mathew “Sparck” Anderson, Lead Community Manager
—
“Wizard101 has been a huge part of my life since I was in elementary school, and by extension so has the character of Ravenwood’s headmaster, Merle Ambrose. At first glance, Ambrose may appear as just another ‘wise old wizard’ archetype without much three dimensionality to him. In fact, it has become almost a bit of a community wide joke that he just summoned our player character to the magical universe of the Spiral to deal with problems he ‘doesn’t want to deal with’.
However, I want to take a moment to talk a bit more seriously about my own personal takeaways of Ambrose’s character that highlights the way Nigel Lambert helped bring this iconic character to life.
There are many story moments that I could pick out and dissect across the last 16 years, but for me personally, I felt that we first got to see Ambrose’s humanity come to light during the second Arc of the game. There were scenes where we didn’t just get this silly old wizard professor, but saw him be frustrated, disappointed, fearful, uncertain, and even ruthless in ways- and I loved it.
I loved seeing how Merle handled past apprentices compared to how he behaves with our player character, The Wizard, and that his hands-off ness with letting us handle huge problems on our own more often that not, is a stark contrast with how stiff and strict he was with his last apprentice, Morganthe. Yet, both approaches come from a place of care. He wanted to educate Morganthe safely, but knew he wasn’t fit to help her control her powers, so sent her away in an emotionally charged moment. So with The Wizard, he is much more liberal, allowing us to practice magic that he otherwise forbade Morganthe for using in the past.
This, to me, was so informative about Ambrose’s character. That, despite his wisdom and knowledge, he still carries a lot of fear about his abilities as a teacher; yet he tries to do what he thinks is right because it comes from a place of love. He wants his students to prosper, but because of his past ‘failures’, his care for teaching can sometimes bring that fear to the surface, which affects how his students end up handling their powers (especially when it comes to Morganthe & The Wizard).
I think that’s what Nigel’s performance really helped highlight with Ambrose’s character- his ability to balance Silly Wizard Mentor, with the seriousness and weight that comes with living through all the ages of the Spiral. His ability to bring both those characteristics to the character of Ambrose made playing the game that much more immersive and enchanting.
While his family, friends, and fans are in a time of mourning, I hope it brings some comfort to talk about how much we loved his work. As I’m writing this, I want to make it clear that, by gushing over Ambrose’s character, I’m equally gushing about Nigel’s performance and talents. Just as Ambrose is a master Wizard, so was Nigel a master voice actor.
Thank you Mr. Lambert. for bringing magic into my life, as well as countless others’ lives. You will be incredibly missed.
En Magus Nos Fides.” – Erica A/Okidenshi, Associate Character Animator
Share Your Memories
We would like to let the family of Nigel Lambert know how much you all cared about his work. Email merle@kingsisle.com an 80 word or less message you’d want to pass on, include your community or character name. We may have to limit how many are sent, but we will do our best to include yours if we can, and all will be preserved by our team. Please submit your message by Friday, October 11, 11:59pm CDT.
You can also share your memories through quoting your favorite Merle Ambrose line on social media. Include #NigelMerleTribute and #Wizard101 in your post.
The Details
What: KingsIsle at PAX West 2024
When: August 30th – September 2nd, 2024
Where: Seattle Convention Center (Seattle, Washington), Booth #745
Demo Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story
Be one of the first people to get a sneak peek at our new upcoming game – Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story! Everyone who plays through the demo will receive a FREE exclusive Ravenwood Academy branded light up LED wand (while supplies last). Please note that this demo will be a very early alpha look at the game, things will continue to take shape as time passes and the game gets closer to launch!
While you wait, don’t forget to wishlist Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story on Steam >>
In addition to demoing Ravenwood Academy for the very first time, we’ll also be selling exclusive convention merch, bringing back older (now unavailable) plushies, and have a couple of opportunities for community members to meet the devs behind their favorite games.
Merch Being Sold at the Booth:
- Magical Mystery Item – $50
- Exclusive Wizard101 Piggle Pin (Pinny Arcade) – $20.00
- Ninja Pig Shirt – $25.00
- Vinyl Figures – $30.00
- Merle Ambrose
- Malistaire Drake
- Jumbo Plush – $35.00
- Bartleby
- Gobbler King
- Standard Plushies – $30.00
- Gamma
- Piggle
- Fire Cat
- Bonnie Anne
- Grandmother Raven
- Old One
Join the fun from home!
From August 28th – September 3rd, you’ll be able to purchase the $10.00 PAX West 2023 Swag Bundle along with the $5.00 PAX West 2023 Piggle Pin Housing Item in Wizard101’s online cart!
The PAX West 2023 Swag Bundle includes the following in-game items:
- Ninja PAX Cap
- Ninja PAX T-Shirt
We’re SO looking forward to meeting up with so many new and existing Wizards and Pirates!
KingsIsle Blog 