Audubon & Augmented Reality Gaming App, Krikey, Bring Popular Board Game Wingspan To Life

NEW YORK (October 16, 2019) – “Wingspan stormed the bird world, and now, Krikey’s augmented reality technology is going to take Wingspan into the wild. It’s a great opportunity for birders and wanna-be birders to learn and play at the same time. Audubon’s excited about seeing whole new audiences find their inner birder,” said David Yarnold, (@david_yarnold), president and CEO of the National Audubon Society.

Audubon announces its partnership with Krikey, an Augmented Reality (AR) mobile gaming application, as latest addition in the organization’s portfolio of unconventional collaborations to adapt to new generations and audiences, inspiring them around a vision for a world in which people and wildlife thrive. 

The launch of Krikey’s immersive and first ever location-based game is inspired by the popular board game Wingspan. Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and sold through Stonemaier Games, Wingspan has 100K+ copies in circulation and was recently awarded the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award in Europe. 

“Krikey is excited to bring the game of Wingspan to life! Using the Google Maps Unity SDK, and Unity’s ARFoundation toolkit, we are able to provide users with stunning AR experiences in-camera using computer vision--all available on a real-time, interactive map,” said Ketaki Shriram, Krikey CTO. 

Wingspan marks Krikey’s first move into map-based gameplay powered by Google Maps, which allows users to move around their environment to find birds and add to their wildlife preserve. Featuring the beautiful artwork from the board game - illustrated by Natalia Rojas, Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, and Beth Sobel - the AR version includes eight different birds to start, with more features and birds to be unveiled monthly. View the game trailer HERE or find artwork HERE.

Placing empathy at the forefront of their mission, Krikey enables users to play and share videos featuring 3D AR games that interact with the real world. Krikey recently partnered with Ellen DeGeneres’ The Ellen Fund to launch Gorillas! in an effort to raise awareness for gorillas in Rwanda. 

Krikey, currently available for free on the App Store and Google Play, allows users to play Augmented Reality games in real-time anywhere in the world. 

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About Audubon:
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.

About Krikey:
Krikey is an app where create meets play - their augmented reality games blend the virtual and physical to bring out the best of our imaginations. Based in San Francisco and founded by two sisters, Jhanvi and Ketaki Shriram, Krikey enables users to play and share videos featuring 3D AR games that interact with the real world. The company’s mission is to entertain the world with augmented reality. For more information, please visit, www.krikey.com and on YouTube and Instagram @krikeyapp. 

About WINGSPAN/Stonemaier Games:
Stonemaier Games is a tabletop game publisher run by Jamey Stegmaier with the support of co-founder Alan Stone and a myriad of talented independent contractors, volunteers, and fans. The company strives to create memorable, beautiful, fun games that engage and delight gamers worldwide. 

Media Contact for Audubon: 
Chandler Lennon
Communications Manager 
chandler.lennon@audubon.org, 212.979.3063

Media Contact for Krikey:
Sarah Andrus
Sarah@krikey.com, 415.624.5617