Leaping into
Decentralized Conservation

On the walls of remote wadis, outside of the ancient oasis city of AlUla, you can find depictions of leopards etched into the red sandstone rockface. Dating back millennia, they capture the long held cultural importance of the Arabian leopard. But like the oasis, this big cat is in danger of becoming yet another mirage.

The rapid breakdown of critical habitats puts endangered species like this cat at risk of extinction. In Saudi Arabia, human expansion, over-hunting resulting in the depletion of prey species and historical human persecution have caused decline in leopard numbers.

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and its long-term partners, Panthera, Catmosphere and the Arabian Leopard Fund committed their combined resources and capabilities to restoration. 'Quest for Hope' is a decentralized conservation campaign to strengthen the impact of the RCU’s conservation effort and measure engagement based on clickthrough of links across Roblox, social media channels and the microsite. 

Recognizing the scope of their quest, the RCU partnered with frog to successfully communicate its sustainability efforts and progress to a global audience. Timing was key, and 'Quest for Hope' was launched as part of the global International Arabian Leopard Day. Our work through the gaming experience platform enables audiences (especially the younger, emerging generation ready to carry the torch in the fight to conserve the Arabian Leopard in the near future) to engage with RCU and their partners’ mission in a fun and engaging way, helping them find out more about what the RCU and its partners do while playing (i.e., Play-to-Learn). The work also demonstrates frog’s commitment to driving impact in the Eco-Digital Era^TM.

Gaming experiences
To educate newer, younger audiences through engaging media, frog created experiences in Roblox and Decentraland. The Roblox platform alone consists of over 50 million games played by untold gamers worldwide. Its social networking components are invaluable, with the chat and invite functionality acting as a self-perpetuating tool for raising awareness.

'Quest for Hope'
Is the digital landscape created for gamers to encounter 18 Arabian leopards, each one a digital twin of its real-life counterpart. Gamers can also explore the labyrinthian corridors of the Old Town Maze, step over the otherworldly Cosmic Crossing and race through the exhilarating Valley Rush. These adventures are supplemented by reward-earning activities, including rare leopard collectibles. Gamification incentivizes and encourages learning about the region and the critical challenges it now faces: Loss of biodiversity and preserving it in line with development of cultural tourism.
With the new generation more connected than any of its predecessors, we recognize the exponential value of establishing a global community of partners and consumers. The gaming experience was chosen as the ideal vehicle for a next-gen approach to presenting and engaging audiences with content and communications. 'Quest for Hope' from the RCU connects people for a noble purpose.