Mumbai, June 05, 2023: In commemoration of World Environment Day, Reliance Games is proud to announce a unique initiative aimed at raising awareness about the hazards of plastic among children and youth. Building upon the tremendous success of last year’s campaign, which reached 1.5 million youth and encouraged them to collect an impressive 250 million virtual plastic bottles, the studio is expanding its efforts to support the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Tide Turners Plastic Challenge for World Environment Day.
This global initiative engages youth in addressing the urgent issue of plastic pollution, which poses a threat to life in oceans, rivers, and land. Notably, Reliance Games will incorporate the issue of plastic pollution into its popular game, Little Singham, and introduce a brand-new game, Little Singham Cycle Race, both designed to educate and entertain players.
POGO’s Little Singham, one of India’s leading animated IPs, with its unique and quirky storylines, has been engaging, inspiring, and captivating millions of kids across the country since its launch. The show’s growing animated universe and the new range of games extend the fun and frolic to a wider audience sphere. As part of that, Reliance Games expands its program with two of its fan-favourite titles, Little Singham and Little Singham Cycle Race, boasting an impressive 75 million downloads. These games embark on a new campaign to educate players about the detrimental impact of plastic pollution.
The in-game activation is part of Reliance Games’ support of Playing for the Planet (www.playing4theplanet.org), an initiative facilitated by UNEP which works with the games industry to decarbonize the industry and test green activations in games.
Through inventive gameplay mechanics, players actively collect virtual plastic bottles and prohibited plastic items, reinforcing the significance of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics. Both games prominently feature the World Environment Day “Only One Earth” logo, underscoring their commitment to global environmental preservation.
The Tide Turners youth program, backed by the worldwide Scout and Girl Guide movement, engages an impressive count of 500,000 youth across more than 30 countries.
Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s office in India, emphasized the importance of raising awareness among young people, stating:
“At UNEP, we were impressed to see the integration of the plastic theme in Little Singham that saw some 250 million virtual plastic bottles collected in the game. Educating people about what actions we can all take to change our relationship with plastics is key. We need more games like this serving to educate and inspire more young individuals to become environmental advocates and help us to Beat Plastic Pollution.”
Uttam Pal Singh, Head of Kids Cluster, Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “POGO’s beloved kid supercop, Little Singham, has been a fan-favourite for years and with his traits of bravery, responsibility, and honesty, has entertained and inspired kids across the country. We believe that today’s youth and kids are the drivers of tomorrow’s change. With Little Singham as the messenger, in collaboration with Reliance Games, we aim to raise awareness about the concern of plastic pollution and inspire kids in fun and engaging formats to bring a positive and responsible attitude towards climate change.”
Amit Khanduja, CEO of Reliance Entertainment – Digital, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “We are proud to strengthen our relationship with UNEP’s Playing for the Planet initiative, and our esteemed partner, Warner Bros Discovery, in raising awareness about plastic pollution through our games. Our goal is to reach an impressive milestone of 100 million runs and 50 billboards per game, maximizing our exposure to spread the message. Our belief has always been that our games, enjoyed by over 500+ million gamers worldwide, can serve as a platform to deliver impactful messages. This year, our collaboration with UNEP, on this theme, around World Environment Day, aligns with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan initiated by the Government of India, enabling us to reach children and young adults who love playing games and are fans of Little Singham. Through our games, we are delivering a crucial message that resonates deeply.”
This collaboration is part of the Playing for the Planet initiative, launched by UNEP in September 2019 at the UN Climate Summit. The initiative aims to mobilize the gaming industry to create awareness about pressing environmental issues. Reliance Games/Zapak, alongside Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Supercell, stands as one of the founding members of this ground-breaking movement.
