[Industry news] PlanetPlay, Rainforest Alliance & Oceana rally the games industry to ‘Battle for the Habitats’

This is a press release posted in addition to our usual editorial content.

PlanetPlay (www.planetplay.com), the award-winning not-for-profit games marketplace, has unveiled Battle for the Habitats, a landmark biodiversity campaign bringing studios, publishers and players together for the largest collective environmental activation the games industry has ever delivered.

Launching on Earth Day (April 22) and running until World Environment Day (June 5), Battle for the Habitats will be a fun, collaborative global games event across 100+ PC, console and mobile games, supported by major streamers and platforms, with a shared goal to raise $1 million in support of two leading environmental organisations: the Rainforest Alliance (www.rainforest-alliance.org) and Oceana (www.oceana.org).

PlanetPlay is now inviting studios, publishers and platforms to ‘Make Green Moves’ and join Battle for the Habitats ahead of its April 22 Earth Day launch. 

How It Will Work

• Battle for the Habitats will see players, studios & publishers take part in a mass-participation games event by choosing a virtual hero, then joining the fight for nature to take on the real-world forces harming our planet through community activations, in-game DLC, challenges, side quests and live ops.
• Studios and publishers can choose a level of support to suit their resources – from sharing the campaign via social media, marketing and PR; to using provided art assets in-game; to selling in-game content and items to raise money. Crucially, participation is designed to be ‘plug-and-play’, making the campaign accessible to indie developers and global publishers alike.
• The two-month Battle for the Habitats campaign will commence on Earth Day (April 22) when two opposing teams, each led by a top creator captain and representing a hero animal, will start going head-to-head on a virtual Two Teams, One Planet leaderboard, driving global engagement while showcasing how games can mobilise streamers and players to protect biodiversity and restore habitats.
• Games that continue participating in Battle of the Habitats with content live in their games on World Environment Day (June 5) can connect their work to Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam (GGJ) for some extra kudos and the chance to win awards!

Crucially, 100% of net profits generated through the campaign will be directed to supporting the work of Rainforest Alliance and Oceana, helping to protect and restore vital rainforest ecosystems, defend marine habitats, safeguard endangered species and support communities on the frontlines of climate and biodiversity challenges.

Battle for the Habitats builds on growing evidence that players are keen to engage with green-themed content when it is integrated in an entertaining and authentic way.

PlanetPlay’s global Play2Act research initiative, developed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has shown that 79% of players exposed to environmental content in games went on to make greener lifestyle choices.