In its mission to utilize games for good and create a meaningful impact on the planet, TreesPlease Games has achieved a significant milestone in its mobile game, Longleaf Valley.
The puzzle title, set for release in 2023, aims to address climate change through player action and has now surpassed the milestone of planting one million trees as a direct result of its initiative.
Longleaf Valley is the first mobile puzzle game to achieve such a milestone, a feat that is sufficient to offset the carbon emissions of over 5,600 cars.
The game’s environmental focus revolves around players completing merge puzzles and earning Tree Tokens, which can be used to grow plants and restore a deforested valley within the game. Each tree planted in the game triggers the planting of a real tree by TreesPlease Games’ charity partner, Eden Reforestation Projects, in an effort to help preserve the planet.
Players can track their individual contributions and monitor the number of trees planted directly as a result of their actions. They can also follow the total number of trees planted through all player engagement within the game, fostering a sense of achievement beyond mere completion of in-game tasks.
To celebrate their progress, all players will receive an in-game reward and an opportunity to participate in the new Treellionaire Cup.
Preserving the Planet
Longleaf Valley was designed with a “Play It, Plant It” model, and the real trees planted across Africa, Asia, and Latin America through player engagement also help support local communities and nurture wildlife.
TreesPlease Games was founded in 2019 and officially emerged from stealth last year. With a team of 15 people, the studio raised $8 million across its investment rounds to develop Longleaf Valley. Laura Carter, the CEO and co-founder, is a veteran of Square Enix, Playstation, Disney, and NaturalMotion.
“I’m extremely proud of the results of Longleaf Valley, and the efforts of our world class team. Together we’ve lived up to our initial ambitions, to prove that games can have a positive impact on the world by protecting nature and tackling climate change,” said Carter.
Eden Reforestation Projects added, “Through our partnership with TreesPlease Games, we have reached an incredible milestone together of planting over a million trees, bringing significant progress in landscape restoration that not only supports the planet but creates opportunities for local communities and wildlife and ecosystems to thrive. We are excited for the future of our partnership and look forward to helping gamers contribute to the health of our planet.”
Research by sustainability firm AfterClimate has identified industry giants Tencent, Apple, Ubisoft, and Nintendo as leaders in reducing gaming’s carbon emissions.
