BBC Studios’ natural history umbrella brand – BBC Earth – has partnered with Minecraft Education in a bid to engage younger audiences globally through the popular game.
BBC Earth and Minecraft Education have created five free Frozen Planet II worlds, featuring immersive landscapes, animals and game-based learning resources, inspired by stories in the new landmark series from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit.
Minecraft is the bestselling game of all time, and is especially popular with younger players. Minecraft: Education Edition provides educational content for schools globally where students can learn about a wide variety of subjects via creative gameplay.
The educational Frozen Planet II content has been made available for free to Minecraft: Education Edition users globally in 29 different languages accompanied by lesson plans for teachers to educate and inspire students about the importance of our frozen worlds and allow them to explore the effects of climate change as part of classroom curriculum.
The five Frozen Planet II worlds will also be provided free to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition players everywhere via the Minecraft Marketplace.
For the first time, Minecraft players will be given the chance to play from the perspective of an animal including the penguin, bumblebee and polar bear, letting players experience the frozen worlds from their view such as a killer whale using a wave washing technique to brush the seals off an ice floe and into the sea.
Players can also try their hand at being a natural history film-making researcher on location where they are tasked to document key animal behaviour and information to inform environmental research.
“One of the great things about the natural world is its power to engage and enthral viewers young and old,” commented Elizabeth White, series producer of Frozen Planet II. “We are delighted to partner with Minecraft on this range of educational computer games which will enable children to interact with stories inspired by the series through gameplay, and learn more about the challenges of these habitats through the additional lesson content.”
Allison Matthews, head of Minecraft Education, continued: “We’re excited to partner with BBC Studios in this unique venture – we’re bringing a whole new perspective to Minecraft and, collaborating with the great minds behind Frozen Planet II, a truly authentic experience of some of the most fascinating and important areas of our world.
“It’s never been more crucial to educate players everywhere about the effects of climate change and inspire a new generation of young people around sustainability. We believe it’s our responsibility to do so, and this partnership is the next big step in that direction.”
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter and @licensing_source on Instagram.
