Sony/Club Penguin purchase in the works?

Paidcontent.org says that Sony is in talks to purchase kid-friendly virtual reality site Club Penguin for about $450 million. Club Penguin is in my opinion one of the most wholesome kid-friendly Web sites on the planet today. BusinessWeek called it "MySpace for the sandlot set", and I think even that description sells it short. This is an Internet property that both kids and parents can love, makes a profit, and uses some of its profits to improve the lives of children in places like Uganda and Romania.

If I were Club Penguin, I'd be talking to Disney and Viacom (owner of Neopets.com) as well as Sony, because $450 million for a one-of-a-kind company like this is a steal. But while we are eager to see the Canadian founders profit from their hard work, we'll be sad to see it come under the corporate umbrella of a large media company. Somehow, we don't think the snowstorms and Pirate Parties will be the same with a Sony logo, even if it doesn't show.

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