Creators Jason Rohrer and Tom Bailey hid 10 troy ounces of 24-karat gold in one of eight states for the ultimate adventure
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2024 — Jason Rohrer, a renowned indie game developer, and recording artist Tom Bailey are bringing every aspiring treasure hunter’s dreams to life with their new creation, . Over the next three weeks, players will receive daily clues to outsmart their competitors for the ultimate prize: $25,000 worth of 24-karat gold. Forged into an intricate golden sculpture, the prize consists of 10 troy ounces of 99.99% pure gold and is hidden on the forest floor in one of eight states on the East Coast—CT, DE, NH, MA, MD, NY, PA, or VT.
Known for the AI from Project December, the memento mori game , and being the first game developer to have a museum retrospective dedicated solely to his work, Jason has been at the forefront of creating innovative games and simulations for the past 20 years. In addition to collaborating on Project December, Tom Bailey is the former frontman of the Warner-signed band .
“Many of us spend a significant amount of time watching others experience adventures in movies. We wanted to transform those imagined adventures into something people could actually live,” said Jason Rohrer. “Project Skydrop brings all these elements together to create a real-world experience unlike anything that’s ever existed before. We aim to create the greatest treasure hunt of all time.”
“Imagine you have your earbuds in and you’re listening to a John Williams score. You see the golden artifact just ahead of you in the woods. You reach out and grab it,” said collaborator Tom Bailey. “It’s like a real-world Indiana Jones treasure hunt except your face won’t melt off when you actually look at the treasure.”
How it works: Individuals can pay $20 to at any time and, starting today, they’ll begin receiving daily clues to help them determine the treasure’s exact location. The challenge lasts for three weeks and will conclude the week of October 4th, or earlier if someone finds it sooner.
Map radius clues: Each day, an online map will display a shrinking circle, with the treasure’s location somewhere within that wider area. On day one, the circle begins with a massive 500-mile radius, but by day two it will shrink to 400 miles, day three 300 miles, and so on. By the end of three weeks, the circle will narrow down to a single foot, pinpointing the exact location of the treasure.
Aerial image clues: New aerial photographs will be released each day, panning out from higher and higher altitudes that look down on the treasure’s location. Starting today, the first aerial clue will include a close-up from four feet above the treasure, then eight feet above on day two, and so on. Every photograph will provide more and more visual context and map detail until the treasure is found.
Growing prize bounty: Not only will the winner claim the $25,000 worth of gold, but they’ll also receive the prize bounty cashout, which is accumulated from half of each entry fee that people have paid to enter the challenge. For example, if 1,000 people join, the bounty will be worth an additional $10,000. If 10,000 people join, the bounty will be worth $100,000. As more people participate, there’s no limit on how large this bounty could become.
“When I first saw the treasure, everything about it intrigued me! I could have asked Jason a million more questions about his treasure and the hunt he’d devised,” said Renee Habashy, appraiser at Hannoush Jewelers. “I immediately signed up to participate, knowing I will not likely be someone doing the hunting, but happy to be a spectator and participant. We don’t see enough ideas that are truly original, but that’s what this treasure hunt is.”
Individuals can sign up for this once-in-a-lifetime, real-world treasure hunt by visiting the .
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SOURCE Project Skydrop