Campaign Encourages Players to Follow Health and Safety Guidelines for COVID-19 from the World Health Organization; Provides Information and Social Connection
(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, leaders from the global games industry who participated in #PlayApartTogether committed to reactivate the initiative launched one year ago, which encourages gamers everywhere to follow World Health Organization (WHO) health advice on COVID-19 prevention.
As part of #PlayApartTogether, a large number of gaming companies agreed to disseminate evidence-based health messages from WHO to help slow the spread of COVID-19. To promote these messages, hundreds of game industry leaders in the interactive entertainment space have encouraged their vast network of users to follow the WHO’s health guidelines—including on physical distancing, masks, hand and respiratory hygiene, avoiding crowds and how to keep rooms well ventilated.
Since the initial kickoff of the campaign, #PlayApartTogether has been adopted by platforms and organizations across the breadth of the digital entertainment space, including mobile, console and PC gamemakers, hardware, platforms, eSports, streamers, universities, non-profits and consumer advocacy groups. The hashtag has been seen by gamers around the world, during the pandemic, in countries including Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Russia, UK and the USA.
WHO has served as the leading international health agency spearheading the global response to the coronavirus outbreak and has prioritized keeping people informed through equitable access to trusted information. As information on the virus, as well as diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are developed and used around the world, WHO continues to provide essential guidance and public health recommendations to governments, communities and individuals everywhere, including through new and wide-reaching communication channels.
By bringing special events, exclusives, activities, rewards and inspiration to some of the most popular games in the world, #PlayApartTogether encourages users to adopt best practices of protection from COVID-19 transmission for the sake of their own health and that of their families and communities. By incorporating COVID-19 prevention messages into games, people everywhere are told: “Wherever you are, whatever game you play, you can make a difference.”
Follow the hashtag #PlayApartTogether on social media for ongoing updates and details.
#PlayApartTogether Game Industry Partners | ||||||||||||||||||||
Activision Blizzard | GSN Games |
| Riot Games | |||||||||||||||||
Atomhawk | Jagex | Rovio | ||||||||||||||||||
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. | Jam City | Scopely | ||||||||||||||||||
Big Fish Games | Kabam | Snap | ||||||||||||||||||
Dirtybit | Lenovo | Tencent Games | ||||||||||||||||||
Drone Racing League | Level Ex | thatgamecompany | ||||||||||||||||||
fortyseven communications | Maysalward | Tilting Point | ||||||||||||||||||
G5 Entertainment | MobilityWare | Twitch | ||||||||||||||||||
Graffity | NCSOFT | Ubisoft | ||||||||||||||||||
Green Man Gaming | PocketGems | Unity | ||||||||||||||||||
Gismart | PlayMob | WellPlay | ||||||||||||||||||
Glu Mobile | Playtika | Whow Games | ||||||||||||||||||
| PUBG Mobile | Zynga |
#PlayApartTogether Game Industry Partner Quotes:
“As
COVID-19 challenged communities around the world, we were proud to join
others in our industry in supporting #PlayApartTogether. Our games have
a unique ability to reach hundreds of millions of people, and through
the campaign we helped spread vital information, while delivering safe
entertainment and joy during an extremely difficult year. We are honored
that veteran players and newcomers alike turned to our franchises
including Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and World of Warcraft to find
much-needed social engagement and fun. And we look forward to continuing
to welcome these players back even after the pandemic subsides.”
Daniel Alegre, President and Chief Operating Officer, Activision Blizzard
“Atomhawk
is supporting #PlayApartTogether as it’s so important to follow best
practice health guidance during the current COVID-19 situation. Our
teams in the UK and Canada have successfully managed to keep working,
playing and learning together during lockdown, all the while creating
awesome art for some incredible video games.”
Tim Wilson, Managing Director, Atomhawk
“The
COVID-19 pandemic changed our day-to-day lives dramatically these days.
Of course, food and medical care are essential for sustenance and life,
but entertainment is also an essential requirement for keeping up our
spirits. We are glad that our offer for free copies of PAC-MAN
Championship Edition 2 last April and Little Nightmares this January
contributed to #PlayApartTogether and helped people with social
distancing while keeping households entertained.”
Yasuo Miyakawa, President & CEO, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
“Over
the past year, our top priority has been to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of our employees while continuing to deliver exceptional
experiences for our players. Through the challenges we have all faced,
Big Fish Games has strived to provide some fun, a degree of escapism and
strengthened connections through our player community.
#PlayApartTogether has been at the core of creating new releases, and a
positive and safe space for our players. We are proud to have
participated in this initiative and are humbled to be in a position to
make a difference in life through the power of play.”
Jason Willig, Managing Director & Co-president, Big Fish Games
“People
all over the world create memorable moments together through Dirtybit's
mobile games. Connecting players for a fun time together is the core of
what we do, and we were very excited to participate in the
#PlayApartTogether initiative in 2020. Dirtybit launched campaigns both
in "Fun Run 3" and in social media to help raise health awareness and
share advice from WHO, and encourage people to connect with friends and
family through games while staying safe at home. Fun Run players all
over the world engaged with our content, helping us reach more than 2
million people. Seeing people share stories about how playing games
together help them cope with the pandemic, motivates us to keep
developing for social game experiences."
Anette Staloy, Chief Marketing Officer, Dirtybit
“Drone
Racing League is thrilled to support the #PlayApartTogether campaign
with the World Health Organization. We’re inviting aspiring drone pilots
everywhere to learn to fly, race with friends and explore new worlds on
the DRL SIM, our drone racing video game on Xbox and Steam, safely from
home.”
Rachel Jacobson, President, Drone Racing League
“We
are all more optimistic now that we have global vaccine efforts to put
an end to the pandemic. Even though it may not be the last, 2020 set a
historical precedent. As developers, we are glad that our players have
been able to find comfort and a much-needed outlet and connection in
times of isolation. And, as lockdowns ease in parts of the world, the
activity in our games continues to remain high, which speaks to the
quality of our games. We would like to thank the #PlayApartTogether
initiative and industry peers for continuing to empower players to
#PlayApartTogether. We will continue to do our part by providing players
with a sense of community and games that they can continue to enjoy.”
Vlad Suglobov, Co-Founder & CEO, G5 Entertainment AB
“Last
year the world was turned upside down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Even
today, as we move into our new normal, people face continuing challenges
to their physical and mental health. From the very beginning, Gismart
has tackled the problem head-on, taking part in the #PlayApartTogether
campaign alongside other industry leaders. We promoted important WHO
messages inside our 40 games and apps to hundreds of millions of people.
We really hope it helps to raise awareness and make keeping safe
simple. We also made our anti-anxiety app, Music Zen, completely free
for the first most stressful months of the pandemic. In addition, as
part of an internal initiative, we looked after our employees' mental
health with a psychologist's help, as well as by tracking how they were
feeling via Mood Tracker. We hope our actions made the world a slightly
better place in such tough times.”
Lana Meisak, VP Business Development and Marketing, Gismart
“The
past year has illustrated just how powerful games are in their ability
to bring people together. Not only through entertainment, competition,
and creativity – but also the communities formed and connections forged.
On the one-year anniversary of #PlayApartTogether, we are proud to
continue supporting our global community of players by sharing important
World Health Organization information and resources across Glu games in
the fight against COVID-19.”
Nick Earl, President & CEO, Glu Mobile
"One
year on, we are still very supportive of adhering to safe social
distancing, as guided by the World Health Organization and through the
#PlayApartTogether initiative. At Graffity, we are dedicated to enabling
people to stay connected through fun, gaming experiences, like through
the recent launch of our AR game 'Leap Trigger' that allows friends to
play together, while also staying safely apart.”
Toshiaki Morimoto, CEO, Graffity
“Never
has it been more critical for people around the world to stay connected
to friends and family as it has been in the past year. While countries
globally have been locked down for long periods of time, isolation,
anxiety and general wellbeing have been a challenge. In these turbulent
times, games have been such a powerful force for good, bringing joy and
keeping people connected as they stay home. We are proud that in the
toughest time, the industry has come together under #PlayApartTogether
to help stop the spread, keeping gamers safe and bringing hope to our
communities.”
Ian McGregor, CMO, Green Man Gaming
“At
such a stressful time, it was great to see the gaming community and
World Health Organization team up to offer people a place to come
together when doing so physically wasn't possible. Jam City used social,
in-game ad inventory, influencers, and partners to help promote the
#PlayApartTogether PSA. Jam City is proud to offer our players
experiences where they can de-stress, decompress and enjoy immersive
worlds that bring a little joy to their daily lives.”
Chris DeWolfe, Co-Founder and CEO, Jam City
“The
#PlayApartTogether initiative is a great way of inviting more people
into the world of gamers. For a long time, gamers have known that games
provide an amazing way to bring people together even when they can't be
in the same room. Keep playing games, keep having fun doing it and stay
safe out there. Someday this pandemic will be over, but the friends you
make playing games can be with you for life."
Tim Fields, CEO, Kabam
“This
challenging year has taught us that we’re all in this together. Lenovo
has responded to the needs of communities around the globe with millions
of dollars in response and aid. Lenovo Legion led a number of online
activations encouraging our gaming community to #StayHome and game on to
help make the world a happier and healthier place. Lenovo Legion fans
sent us almost 3,000 photos of their gaming setups and explained how
gaming helped them to reconnect with friends and family online. Gaming
is a great activity for having fun and was a valuable tool for millions
of people coping with lockdown to relax. Inspired by the photos
received, we gave nearly 186,000 entrants a chance to upgrade their
battle stations with top Lenovo Legion gaming PCs and headsets via
Lenovo Legion’s #PlayApartTogether Giveaway. To further spread the word
about the #PlayApartTogether initiative and WHO’s social distancing
guidelines, Lenovo Legion and our North America esports partner, TSM,
teamed up in the fall of 2020 to lead through example via our support of
transitioning all global events to online to save lives.”
Matt Bereda, Vice President of Global Consumer Marketing, PCs and Smart Devices, Lenovo
“Over
the past year, we have seen how games can keep people connected, and
through #PlayApartTogether, how they can help promote health and safety.
Our players are doctors, and we were eager to support them as a part of
this initiative. Using cloud gaming technology, we developed a platform
for healthcare professionals to train apart, together, so multiple
doctors can practice procedures and diagnosis puzzles together over
Zoom. We also created COVID-19 levels in our mobile games to disseminate
critical information. These levels were played by tens of thousands of
medical professionals, helping them provide better care to patients
globally.”
Sam Glassenberg, Founder and CEO, Level Ex
“Since
March last year, we entered a new challenging level in humanity's life
that needs everyone's effort to overcome the enemy at this stage, so we
joined the #PlayApartTogether campaign with our players to defeat the
boss of this level.”
Nour Khrais, CEO, Maysalward
"All
of us at MobilityWare are honored to once again join our peers in
mobile gaming for the #PlayApartTogether campaign, as we try to do our
part in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. As a partner in the
initiative, our Jigsaw Puzzle team kept our players updated on the World
Health Organization’s latest public health messaging and guidelines
with our free “Do the Five” puzzle pack, our Easter Egg Hunt event, and
the launch of our “Stay Home Puzzles” category. Our mission is to bring
joy to others one game at a time and we hope that, with our extensive
catalog of titles, we’ve both entertained and provided a sense of
community to gamers over the past year."
Francesca Noli, Chief Product Officer, MobilityWare
“This
past year in lockdown has been challenging for everyone around the
world. As a creator of virtual worlds, we worked hard to keep our
players connected and engaged. We discovered our massively multiplayer
games were a great resource for our players to help them
#PlayApartTogether and stay safe.”
Dr. Songyee Yoon, President, NCSOFT
“Pocket
Gems continues to support the #PlayApartTogether campaign alongside the
World Health Organization and our fellow developers. The challenges of
the past year make us even more committed to deepening our connections
with the Episode and War Dragons communities and delivering original
experiences for new and existing players alike."
Ben Liu, CEO, Pocket Gems
“At
Rovio, our mission is to craft joy and deliver unforgettable
experiences to our players. If ever there was a time when people needed
more joy, it’s now. We see our responsibility as game-makers is to
delight people as they increasingly find their entertainment at home,
away from their friends, family and loved ones. We will continue our
commitment to bringing joy in our players' lives through our games and
through initiatives like #PlayApartTogether.”
Alex Pelletier-Normand, CEO, Rovio
“At
Scopely, we aim to inspire play, every day. And every day – especially
over the last year – it’s our players who inspire us. We are proud to
continue to support the World Health Organization on the one-year
anniversary of #PlayApartTogether. We’re dedicated to fostering
connection and entertaining players globally through our games, while
sharing important resources as we continue in the fight against
COVID-19.”
Walter Driver and Javier Ferreira, Co-CEOs, Scopely
"In
a year where it’s been harder than ever to stay connected, games have
provided an engaging way for friends and family to keep in touch. By
putting games right in Snapchat, and weaving communication into the core
game experience, we’ve created a place where Snapchatters feel like
they’re hanging out, sitting side by side – even when they’re apart.
We’re continuing to support #PlayApartTogether, and make sure that
Snapchatters can have fun with friends and family, staying safe while
staying connected."
Pany Haritatos, Head of Games, Snap
“While
most of us were physically separated last year, the PUBG MOBILE
community remained closely connected. Supporting the #PlayApartTogether
campaign, millions of PUBG MOBILE players enjoyed chicken dinners at
home, with over 500,000 players engaged on social media and more than 20
million viewers tuned in to the global esports tournament for this
campaign. Playing together across 20 markets, the PUBG MOBILE community
demonstrated its continuous effort to fight against the pandemic in the
#StayInTheSafeZone campaign, and its ability to enjoy the game in a
healthy way consistent with WHO health guidelines. PUBG MOBILE players
also participated in the #PUBGMPlayAsOne in-game running challenge and
achieved 864 million kilometers in total, which was converted into a
USD2 million donation of medical kits to frontline healthcare workers
from the PUBG MOBILE team in real life. Video games are not just our
passion, but also how we connect with each other and support our
community; they are a big part of our efforts to improve ourselves and
realize our dreams. We hope the PUBG MOBILE community can continue to
play well together and support our local communities to slow the spread
of COVID-19.”
Vincent Wang, Head of PUBG MOBILE Publishing, Tencent Games
“We
are so overwhelmed by the generosity of Sky’s global community.
Originally, we asked how could our studio help during the pandemic? We
couldn’t have predicted the altruistic behaviors in-game would translate
to real life action and giving to frontline workers. Our team is so
moved by the word-of-mouth and support Sky has inspired during this
pandemic.”
Jenova Chen, Co-Founder and Creative Director, thatgamecompany
“The
pandemic has hit everyone hard, on various levels, but it also provided
ways to rally together, in true Star Trek fashion. In the context of
STAR TREK TIMELINES, we quickly put in place an initiative to provide
our players with a care package every two weeks. When #PlayApartTogether
came to be, we were ready and embraced it – its double meaning
resonating with all of us. Games are indeed a great way to socialize
with each other while remaining physically distanced."
Anne Williams, Player Experience Lead for Star Trek Timelines, Tilting Point
“Ubisoft
is proud to have participated in the #PlayApartTogether initiative,
during which we saw more than 9 million players redeem giveaways of some
of our most beloved titles. This unprecedented period has shown what a
positive impact video games can have on players’ lives, offering people
around the world not just a source of entertainment and escape, but also
a means to stay connected with friends and family.”
Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and CEO, Ubisoft
"This
past year we've witnessed humanity come together in amazing ways. The
#PlayApartTogether initiative enabled gaming to take on an important
role, allowing players to connect with new friends and old, socialize
and escape for a little while, all while staying distanced. Even as we
locked down, creators continued to inspire us with new games, new
experiences and new devices that brought more players together from all
around the world. And at Unity, our commitment to the initiative, to the
WHO and to the gaming community remains strong. We will continue to
invest in the tools, services and support so that game developers and
players can find success, enjoy their favorite entertainment and connect
socially online."
John Riccitiello, CEO, Unity
"#PlayApartTogether
demonstrated the resiliency and creativity of the global gaming
community. At WellPlay, we learned how the driving factors of gaming –
socialization, interactivity, co-creation and positive feedback loops –
can positively impact health and are pleased to be using our game Virus
Hunters in the clinical setting to improve health outcomes. While
serious games are not new, we believe that there is a greater
opportunity for the health and gaming communities to come together and
tackle our greatest challenges. We look forward to bringing the best of
storytelling, gaming and health to players around the world."
Ari Mostov, Founder & CEO, WellPlay
“At
Whow Games, we have the great privilege of bringing joy to millions of
people around the world through our games. But games can do more than
entertain: They connect people and overcome the physical distance
currently imposed on us. That's why we're very proud to join many other
great games companies in promoting the WHO and #PlayApartTogether
campaign for the past year. Gamers worldwide have taken responsibility
and done their part to flatten the curve.”
Philip Reisberger, CEO, Whow Games
“It’s
overwhelming to reflect upon the last year; the tragedy and loss that
has affected so many families, but also the inspiring strength,
resilience and perseverance of so many. When we first started
conceptualizing the #PlayApartTogether initiative, we couldn’t have
dreamed that it would be so embraced by the global gaming community,
with an enthusiasm and commitment that truly made an impact. As a return
to more normal life is beginning to be within our sights, we are
devoted to continuing to use this platform to bring vital information
and a supportive community to players. We truly make a difference when
we work – and play – together.”
Bernard Kim, President of Publishing, Zynga
Editor’s Note:
Campaign Graphics, Quote Sheet and Industry Contact Sheet =
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eecabyhkx4y9vgu/AACQk7o99g5FqSsMcejV7ah6a?dl=0
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210413005079/en/
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