Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K and Firaxis Games Partner with GlassLab Inc., to Bring CivilizationEDU to High Schools Throughout North America in 2017
Beloved history-inspired, turn-based strategy series that has captivated generations for 25 years, to help engage students and improve key 21st century skills
New York, NY – Jun 23, 2016 – 13th Annual Games for Change Festival announced a partnership with GlassLab Inc., a nonprofit learning company, to bring a modified version of Sid Meier’s Civilization V to high schools in North America in the fall of 2017. Developed by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier’s Civilization V has sold-in more than 8 million units worldwide, was one of the most critically acclaimed PC games of 2010, and earned numerous awards and accolades. CivilizationEDU will provide students with the opportunity to think critically and create historical events, consider and evaluate the geographical ramifications of their economic and technological decisions, and to engage in systems thinking and experiment with the causal/correlative relationships between military, technology, political and socioeconomic development.
In addition, GlassLab Inc. will add a learning analytics engine to CivilizationEDU to capture students’ progress and assess their problem-solving skills – harnessing the popularity and innovation of interactive entertainment and turning it into a powerful tool for the classroom and alternative to standardized tests. Teachers who use CivilizationEDU will have access to an online dashboard that will provide reports on students’ progress, demonstrating how in-game accomplishments relate to problem solving; developer diaries; gameplay tutorial videos, and instructional resources, including an in-depth gameplay guide and lesson plans aligned to academic and 21st century standards.
“We are incredibly proud to lend one of our industry’s most beloved series to educators to use as a resource to inspire and engage students further,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Civilization has challenged millions of people around the world to revisit and experience history, pursue boldly exploration, and create their own societies based on their passions and freedom of choice. I can’t think of a better interactive experience to help challenge and shape the minds of tomorrow’s leaders.”
“For the past 25 years, we’ve found that one of the fun secrets of Civilization is learning while you play,” added Sid Meier, Founder and Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games. “We’ve always focused on entertainment first, but we believe that our players – young and old – enjoy learning, even if they don’t always enjoy education. Civilization players find fun in discovering new civilizations, running into famous historical leaders, and charting their own version of human history. Along the way, players learn valuable lessons from their success and failures and are able to try again, employing different choices and strategies. We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with GlassLab and I am excited to see CivilizationEDU in classrooms next year.”
“Education today too often focuses on what can be measured, rather than what young people need to know. CivilizationEDU is a perfect example of how games can be used to teach and assess key 21st century skills that are hard to measure on multiple-choice tests,” said Connie Yowell, CEO of Collective Shift and its global learning movement LRNG, which is merging with GlassLab. “We’re thrilled to offer CivilizationEDUas part of GlassLab’s collection of games for next generation learning. This beloved game is an important addition to the rich learning resources the LRNG ecosystem offers online, in classrooms, and through the communities that are participating in the LRNG Cities movement.”
“Video games are today’s most dynamic and compelling art form in the world, and its ability to captivate and engage audiences of all ages is unparalleled,” concluded Michael D. Gallagher, President and CEO, Entertainment Software Association. “Our industry defines the intersection of creativity and technology, and we are increasingly finding unique ways in which we can transcend entertainment to enhance our society for the long-term. The potential influence of CivilizationEDU in the American classroom is another illustration of that promise.”
CivilizationEDU will be available for download in 2017 from specialized partners Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, SMS Tech Solutions, Edmodo and Learning.com, in addition to other distributors. For more information, please visit www.glasslabgames.org.
About Sid Meier’s Civilization
With over 34 million units sold-in worldwide, and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier’s Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest strategy franchises of all-time. Sid Meier’s Civilization V is the fifth offering in the multi-award winning Civilization strategy game series featuring the famous “just one more turn” addictive gameplay that has made it one of the greatest game series of all time. In Civilization V, players strive to become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age, waging war, conducting diplomacy, discovering new technologies, going head-to-head with some of history’s greatest leaders and building the most powerful empire the world has ever known. On October 21st, 2K and Firaxis Games will launch Sid Meier’s Civilization VI for PC. For more information, please visit www.civilization.com.
About Sid Meier
Often regarded as “The Godfather of Computer Gaming,” Sid Meier is a Co-Founder and Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games, where he and his dynamic team are responsible for delivering some of the world’s most heralded strategy games. A thirty-plus-year industry veteran, Sid started his legendary career as a founding partner of MicroProse Software in 1982, where he created widely-renowned games such as Silent Service, F-15 Strike Eagle, Civilization, Pirates!, and Railroad Tycoon. Over the last three decades, he has played an influential role in establishing strategy games as a cornerstone of video gaming – and in 1999, was recognized as the second person to ever be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science’s “Hall of Fame” for Lifetime Achievement. In 2002, Sid was also honored with an induction into the Computer Museum of America’s Hall of Fame, located in San Diego, CA.
About GlassLab Inc.
GlassLab brings together leaders in commercial games and experts in learning and assessment to develop next generation digital games and interactive experiences that make learning engaging for young people and visible to educators. GlassLab products and services are designed to deliver proven learning impact and reach youth in schools, informal learning environments, and at home. CivilizationEDUwill add to GlassLab’s growing library of games, which includes titles such as SimCityEDU: Pollution Challenge; Mars Generation One: Argubot Academy EDU, developed in collaboration with NASA and the National Writing Project, and Use Your Brainz EDU, the educational version of PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies 2. GlassLab has been made possible through the generous support of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and is now merging into Collective Shift.
About LRNG and Collective Shift
LRNG is an innovative, youth-first movement that closes the opportunity gap and transforms how young people access and experience learning and the paths they can take to success. Working together with 12 LRNG Cities, program partners like Boys and Girls Club, and corporate partners such as EA, Best Buy, Fossil and Gap to co-design learning Playlists, LRNG is transforming the way young people access learning and how it is recognized. LRNG is powered by Collective Shift, a nonprofit that was spun out of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning program. GlassLab is merging into Collective Shift.
About ESA
ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software publishers, including conducting business and consumer research, providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property and technology/e-commerce issues, managing a global content protection program, owning and operating E3 and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit ESA’s website or follow us on Twitter at @RichatESA or @ESAGovAffairs.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the genre-fusing hero-shooter Battleborn®, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise**. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.
**According to 2008 – 2016 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through May 2016.
About Firaxis Games
Firaxis Games™ is one of the world’s premier game development studios, and home of legendary designer Sid Meier. Firaxis has developed some of the most successful and award-winning PC and video games on the market today, including the award-winning Sid Meier’s Civilization® series, featuring the recently released expansion pack for Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth™ for Windows PC, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide for Windows PC, Sid Meier’s Civilization V for Windows PC, as well as the critically acclaimed expansion packs, Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World and Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods and Kings for Windows PC. Firaxis also released the 2012 Game of the Year award-winning XCOM®: Enemy Unknown for Windows PC, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Apple iOS, along with the critically acclaimed expansion pack XCOM: Enemy Within for Windows PC, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and Apple iOS. Firaxis Games is owned by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and is part of its 2K publishing label. For more information about Firaxis and its games can be found at www.firaxis.com.
About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.
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