Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions Launches Climate-Themed Indie Video Game Competition (EXCLUSIVE)

Trevor Noah‘s Day Zero Productions will launch a climate-themed video game competition on Earth Day in partnership with indie developer Anima Interactive and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” producer Cinereach.

Dubbed “Day Zero Games: Solarpunk Jam,” the competition will run April 22 through May 10 and culminate with a $10,000 grand prize.

Per the official description for the inaugural Day Zero Games competition, the event “challenges creators to make original video game prototypes that bring climate visibility to the forefront.” The contest “invites developers around the world to imagine hopeful and optimistic climate futures inspired by the solarpunk literary and art movement.”

All participants will receive a narrative toolkit created by Cinereach in partnership with Good Energy offering insights and climate research to inform projects.

Additional sponsors and partners for the competition include International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Black in Gaming Foundation, Latinx in Gaming and Games for Change.

The launch of the competition comes on the heels of Noah’s Day Zero Productions’ (which takes it name from the water shortage crisis in Cape Town, South Africa that occurred between 2015-2018) recent investment in gaming startup Midsummer Studios.

This marks a re-team for Anima Interactive and Cinereach, which last year host the competition Just Play, an initiative that encouraged creators to explore different lenses of justice through gaming, which ended with game showcases at SXSW in Austin and the Hollywood Climate Summit.

“Indie games are fertile environments to push creative boundaries in our industry”, Day Zero head of games Dan Zubrzycki said. “Our team’s name, Day Zero, has its roots in the climate conversation. It’s an issue close to Trevor’s heart. With this Solarpunk game jam, we’re tapping into that spirit to reimagine the climate conversation — not with fear, but with creativity, resilience, and joy. The future needs more than warnings; it needs worldbuilders brave enough to imagine a better tomorrow.”

“Game jams offer a safe space and playground to experiment and take risks that might not always be possible within more structured studio environments,” Anima Interactive founder and creative director Karla Reyes said. “We’re excited to partner with Day Zero on this solarpunk-themed jam. During a time when our Earth is fragile, it’s more important than ever for art and activism to converge and inspire a brighter future. It should be electrifying!”

Cinereach chief creative officer Candice McFarlane added: “We’re thrilled to team up with Day Zero Productions on our third game jam with Anima Interactive. We can’t wait to see our narrative blueprints—shaped by representatives of impacted communities and climate professionals—transformed into playable worlds with the power to inspire alternative futures. What developers create here might just be the seeds from which a new reality can emerge.”