Earth Day is here. It is an important day for us at Far From Home and it is reflected in the fact that our first game, Forever Skies is not just about entertainment, but also about drawing attention to the more serious issue of our planet's ongoing climate problems. The "Earth Appreciation Festival" on Steam is a great opportunity to remind us of this.
The theme of caring for our planet has accompanied "Forever Skies" from the very beginning. After all, the smog in Kraków was an important inspiration for the world presented in our game. The pollution accumulating just above the earth's surface is a significant threat to the health and life of its inhabitants. Theoretically, to find clean air, one should climb as high as possible. We see this process on future Earth depicted in Forever Skies. Humanity first tried to escape to the tops of high buildings, but the ecological degradation of the planet was so advanced that it eventually forced our species to flee. We want the vision presented in the game to contribute to the debate on the state of the Earth's environment and the role humans play in changing it.
Similar motivations are behind the organisers of World Earth Day, which this year falls on April 22nd. Two days earlier, on April 20th, the "Earth Appreciation Festival" launched on the Steam platform. The aim of the action is to draw attention to the values associated with the aforementioned World Earth Day and problems such as environmental pollution, overpopulation and climate change.
Almost 100 games are taking part in the festival, each is approaching the issue from a different perspective just like Forever Skies. This is a great initiative, which brings together producers who want to speak about the values associated with Earth Day, so we couldn’t miss it.
Of course, we’re aware that this year's Earth Day is taking place somewhat in the background. Currently, the key topic for the world is Russian aggression and aid to Ukraine. However, it is worth remembering that the fight for the environment and the future of the Earth is not a short-distance run. It is a long-term process, requiring many years of consistently implemented action strategies.
These topics are not mutually exclusive, quite the contrary. We ourselves loudly urge support for Ukraine and provide assistance to refugees, while all the time implementing the mission that is the foundation of Forever Skies. In our opinion, both activities go hand in hand, as they are motivated by concern for the planet and people. This is exactly the approach we mean when we say we want Far From Home productions to be more than just entertainment games.
This article kicks off our "#CloseToHome" series, where we aim to showcase our activities that align with the values in our strategy. We want to leave a significant mark on the history of the video game industry by creating games that will be remembered for a long time and will provide a starting point for discussions about important challenges facing the world. We also want to create a friendly work environment where game developers are not only employees but have a significant impact on projects and the company itself.