Farmer, artist and indie developer Henry Driver (Secrets of the Soil) and publisher Future Friends Games (SUMMERHOUSE, Gourdlets, Europa, Exo One) have announced ‘Treeplanter’, a peaceful interactive woodland, alongside a new announcement trailer.
About the Game:
Welcome to Treeplanter, an interactive woodland that grows and changes with the seasons. Piece together a small grove of trees branch by branch. Watch as their roots blossom under the soil. As time goes by, an ecosystem of animals, plants and birds will move in, turning your creation into their home!
Treeplanter is created by digital artist Henry Driver, previously known for Secrets of the Soil (‘A Spectacular Underground Cosmos’ – Vice). Each copy of the game sold helps Henry plant trees, wildflowers, meadows and community orchards through partnerships with schools, farms, communities and woodland charities. This means you’ll help restore real-life nature, too!! Last year, Henry planted 700 trees on Suffolk-based farms and schools. We're on track to plant 8000 trees and millions of wildflowers in 2025, and that’s without any sales!
Combining meditation and education, Treeplanter aims to teach players about the interconnected wonders of the natural world, both above ground and below.
Features:
- A soothing interactive toybox for fans of games like Summerhouse and Tiny Glade!
- Piece together trees with a playful lego-like design!
- Procedural creatures turn your grove into a living landscape!
- Watch the woodland change and grow throughout the different seasons!
- Learn about the natural world above and below!
Background
Treeplanter began as an EU Social Fund project aimed at providing real-life game development opportunities to students. The very first prototype was developed with a diverse team of students aged 18-21, with support from woodland charities, Eastern Education Group, and directed by Henry Driver. Since then it’s toured around the country, including the Youth Climate Conference and Beth Chatto Symposium.
The game is currently being playtested at special educational needs and disabilities charity LEVEL, where it’s presented in an immersive four 4K projector wraparound space. Audiences aged from 5 to 85 are invited to play and give feedback. There are plans underway to take Treeplanter to schools and libraries through an educational licence scheme.
About the developer:
Henry Driver is a sixth-generation farmer and digital artist creating video games (using solar energy) to connect players with nature and enable real-world change, including planting hundreds of trees every year on local farms and schools. Driver's games have been exhibited in Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Sainsbury Centre and the Barbican, as well as other festivals and events worldwide. Previous clients include BBC Arts, Science Gallery, ARM, and Red Bull.