Social and environmental impact platform PlanetPlay has announced a new collaboration with Lockwood Publishing, creator of mobile metaverse platform Avakin Life.

Through the partnership, the companies hope to inspire players to adopt climate-conscious behaviour and make a real-world impact in the fight against climate change.

Through the partnership, Avalin Life will introduce more than 30 eco-friendly in-game items for purchase, giving opportunities the chance to embrace sustainable living within the game.

Additionally, items will be marked with a green leaf, indicating that a portion of the proceeds will generate “green coins”, which can be donated via PlanetPlay’s platform and API to Kenya’s Hongera Clean Cookstove Project, a non-profit which provides clean and energy efficient cookstoves to poorer regions in Kenya. The project aims to mitigate more than 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime through the distribution of 150,000 stoves.

“Working with PlanetPlay, and with the support of the amazing Avakin Life community, we are committed to making a significant and lasting impact on climate change through this initiative - which underscores the power of gaming to drive positive real-world change,” said Avakin Life product director Ivee Feria-Padua.

A green metaverse

Avakin Life has been a strong presence in the mobile metaverse scene since its inception, however Lockwood Publishing layed off 10% of its workforce in 2021 and a further 15% in 2022. 

Their deal with PlanetPlay is only their latest partnership in the mobile gaming space. PlanetPlay has previously partnered with the likes of independent game studio Flick. Meanwhile their own research has found that 81% of 400,000 gamers surveyed were interested in seeing environmental-themed content in-game, while 61% were willing to pay for such content if it adds to the experience.

In an effort to improve sustainability, the EU recently passed new regulation requiring all phones to have user replaceable batteries by 2027.