National Geographic and YETi CGI announced today the release of “National Geographic Puzzle Explorer” for mobile devices. The new game is the first “Geo Maze Maker” title, now available as “National Geographic Puzzle Explorer” in the Apple App Store and as “Nat Geo Puzzle Explorer” in Google Play. The game is free-to-play (with in-app purchases).
With “National Geographic Puzzle Explorer” and its new “Geo Maze Maker” technology, players can create their own puzzle mazes and watch them come to life. The obstacles the players place in their mazes act as they do in real life and can help or hinder the players’ navigation in the maze. Players place and navigate their way over foot traps in the Yucatán in Mexico; make their way across cracked ice paths that crumble; dodge tigers that threaten their progress; gather keys to unlock trigger gates… and much more.
With every experience, players create their own puzzling mazes by choosing the paths to success or setting up barriers along the way. They can also share their puzzles with friends and family through a simple, proprietary-sharing technology. By simply tapping the “share” link in the game, they can send it to others, who can then play it on their own Android or Apple device.
The game is designed to nurture cognition, creativity and basic problem-solving skills by teaching children to design and build interactive mazes through colorful graphics and imaginative game play. Players will learn about many of the world’s diverse geographic regions by unlocking more than 45 photo facts from National Geographic.
“‘National Geographic Puzzle Explorer’ is unprecedented in its ability to virtually transport people and allow them to engage with the native elements of the location they choose,” said Dennis Randall, National Geographic’s senior director of brand licensing for North America. “The game’s learning tools for parents and instructors underscore our commitment to families and education.”
“YETi is thrilled to partner with National Geographic to bring interactive education to a new level,” said Josh Freeney, co-founder and partner of YETi CGI. “We are all educators who became game developers to advance learning through games. That’s why we created a Parents Tool Kit, so parents understand the learning benefits of our game and can help their children get the most out of it. We help parents understand all of the great learning skills, such as logic, reasoning, strategy and visualization, that are so important to developing brains. We also created a Tool Kit for the Classroom that meets Common Core Standards, so instructors can use it as a teaching tool. We let them know how to use the game as classroom learning and how to support it with other classroom game-related activities to blend the learning.”
“Blending learning and entertainment is effective for engaging children and it is an effective teaching strategy. The majority of parents and teachers now appreciate games’ abilities to engage, inspire and extend learning,” said Fingerprint’s Chief Executive Officer Nancy MacIntyre. “We’re excited to be the publisher of such a unique learning game that we’ll include in our network of top kids’ services.”
“National Geographic Puzzle Explorer”’s free version comes with one free location and two packages for purchase, each with two regions. The Expedition Package includes Antarctica and the Himalayas; the Exploration Package includes the Nile River Valley and the Australian Outback. Packages are available for .99 each.
National Geographic’s net proceeds from the sale of this product will support vital exploration, conservation, research and education programs.
For more information, go to www.NationalGeographicPuzzleExplorer.com.
About YETi CGI
YETi CGI is a creative play studio and digital toy maker founded by educators. Focused on pushing the boundaries of technology to entertain and promote learning, YETi has designed and developed innovative digital play experiences with Disney, Mattel, National Geographic, Zynga and Nickelodeon. For more information, visit www.yeticgi.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
About National Geographic
National Geographic is a global nonprofit membership organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. We fund hundreds of research and conservation projects around the globe each year. With the support of our members and donors, we work to inspire, illuminate and teach through scientific expeditions, award-winning journalism, education initiatives and more. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Fingerprint, Inc.
Fingerprint is a global mobile technology company that powers games and curates play-and-learn content to targeted customers around the world through dedicated mobile networks. The company is growing at a rapid rate as global brands look to efficiently and effectively reach parents and children with highly relevant entertainment, which, today, is nearly all mobile. For more information, please visit fingerprintplay.com or facebook.com/FingerprintPlay.