Introducing CleanPlay

We're thrilled to finally announce something that’s been in the works for a while and that we're both incredibly excited about: CleanPlay. CleanPlay is more than just a company – it's a mission to rapidly and dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of the video game industry.

Video games have profoundly shaped our lives and careers, and the past 30+ years have seen gaming evolve from a geeky hobby into one of the largest communities on the planet. Today the community of gaming is vast, diverse, and a wonderful space where the connections between creators and players extend far beyond entertainment.

In parallel, climate change has emerged as the defining challenge of our era, impacting every person on earth – gamers and non-gamers alike. We embarked on a journey to understand the intersection of climate and gaming, delving into the CO2 emissions of the videogames industry. Although gaming is relatively low in carbon intensity compared to revenue, its total emissions are significant and growing. Current estimates suggest that the gaming industry is nearing 100 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, roughly equivalent to the emissions from 20 million passenger cars or deforestation of 80,000 square miles (nearly Great Britain’s size). Notably, 80% of console emissions come from players’ electricity consumption, with gaming making up 1% of U.S. household energy consumption.

That's where CleanPlay comes in. CleanPlay empowers players to take simple and immediate climate action while enjoying their favorite games – and to get rewarded in the process.

Partnering with game developers, publishers, and platform holders, we're inviting the majority of gamers who already feel a personal responsibility to combat climate change to join us. Through the CleanPlay app – launching first on PlayStation 5 – we aim to ensure that every watt of energy used while gaming is matched with clean energy. This is just the beginning: we're not only using verified tools today but also engaging our community to pursue even more impactful solutions for reducing CO2 emissions and driving the clean energy transition in gaming.

As the gaming industry continues to expand, the energy demand will be far greater than most anticipate in the coming years. That’s why ensuring the quality and integrity of the clean energy solution is our top priority. We’re working closely with sustainability experts to carefully select clean energy projects that not only meet this growing demand but also make a real impact on driving clean energy adoption.

Transparency and rigorous tracking are embedded in every step we take, ensuring that our contributions to clean energy are both meaningful and measurable.

Moreover, CleanPlay offers a way to transform sustainability efforts into a revenue-generating opportunity for gaming companies. Our platform empowers entire teams – from game designers, developers, and publishers to financial and sustainability leaders – to seamlessly integrate clean energy into their operations, creating an economically rewarding model that offers new monetization opportunities, enhanced player engagement, and increased loyalty. By incorporating in-game features and reward systems tied to clean energy actions, we’re delivering value that resonates with eco-conscious gamers and helping industry partners realign their strategies, ultimately turning environmental action into a powerful driver of profitability and long-term success.

The gaming community, with its proactive, passionate, and agile members, is ideal to lead the charge in community-driven demand for CO2 reductions, and will create a roadmap for other industries to rapidly improve.

We're at the beginning of this journey, and invite you to join us.

Rich & David