Expert Report on the Climate Impact of Saltsea Chronicles
Game Director Hannah Nicklin introduces an independent report into the climate impact of the development of Saltsea Chronicles.
Read the full report and its findings and methodology here.
As well as launching the world-premiere of our story-driven adventure game Saltsea Chronicles this week we also shared (what we believe is) another world-first: a detailed impact report into the climate impact of the game’s development.
Our game is set on a flooded world after a great disaster. Saltsea Chronicles is not precisely our world, although it could be. The collapse of the Thwaites Glacier – sometimes called the Doomsday Glacier – could cause a sudden rise of sea levels by 1 metre which would absolutely put the place I come from in the UK (Lincolnshire) underwater. That’s even before we get to the rise in sea levels already impacting many island nations, and that will continue as we fail to curtail our carbon emissions.
Part of that is why I’m really proud to share this report. We commissioned Benjamin Abraham the author of Digital Games After Climate Change to produce it, and as well as tracking our impact and suggesting mitigations and changes we can make in future projects it also advocates for other studios to do the same, offering methodology, resources, and key actions.
There are no videogames on a dead planet. Net zero is an urgent target not just for big companies, but to reach it, smaller companies like ours need to act too. The report makes a number of recommendations for other indies, and shares resources for them to track their own impact, set targets, and track their progress.
It also proposes a climate impact rating system that could sit along age ratings, keeping players aware of our efforts, and keeping game makers accountable as we all strive to hit net zero.
I’m really proud to have been able to support such an extensive assessment of the impact of Saltsea Chronicles’ production process. I hope this report offers means for smaller game organisations to find a hand-hold in how to begin to take action. Our survival depends on it.
Read the full report and its findings and methodology here.
About Saltsea Chronicles
Set in a post-flood world, Saltsea Chronicles allows you to guide a misfit crew in search of their missing captain. The investigation and the decisions you make will see you explore a series of beautiful and intriguing islands, meet different communities, and see the lives of people built on the ruins of what came before – all as you unravel the mystery at the heart of the game.
What pathway will you trace through the story?
