good games. good fun. good for the planet.
Goode Goode Studios creates nature-inspired games rooted in planet-positive play—turning screen time into green time. We design playful, curiosity-driven experiences that invite kids (and adults!) to explore, collect, create, and connect both in-game and out in the real world.
Our first game, Backpack Adventure, is a nature-themed Roblox experience where players explore biomes, discover animals, and build real-world observation skills along the way. With over 2.5 million visits and a 90%+ positive rating, it shows that games can spark curiosity about the natural world—not distract from it. (Download: Learning Outcomes Report)
Our second experience, Make a Mandala, builds on that idea through creative play. Players collect natural materials and create their own mandalas, blending art, pattern recognition, and nature literacy in a fast, mobile-first format. And the best part? Kids can take what they’ve made in-game and create their own mandalas outside using real natural materials.
History
Curious how the Goodd Goode Studios game came to be?
The short answer: It was inspired by our founder Kimberly’s twin daughters, Lydia and Zoe!
The long answer: Kimberly joined Storey Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, back in December of 2020 in the throes of the Covid pandemic. Her daughters were just about six years old and, like most kids, were spending significantly more time on screens than ever before. She found herself looking for ideas to keep them active and outside, and immediately fell in love with Storey’s Backpack Explorer Book Series. Taking long walks in the woods with Backpack Explorer scavenger hunt downloadables in hand!
Fast forward two years, Storey’s parent company, Hachette Livre, announced its inaugural Innovation Challenge aimed at tapping into the collective creativity of its global workforce. The competition offered thousands of employees across 200 imprints worldwide an opportunity to think big about how books could reach new audiences, with winners receiving funding to bring their ideas to life.
Meanwhile, as the pandemic progressed, her kiddos—and millions and millions more—became increasingly enthralled with Roblox, spending many hours each week online. She thought, what if she could meet her kids where they are to build nature literacy and the idea for a backpack themed online adventure (inspired by Storey’s Backpack Explorer book series) was born!
Kimberly invited four of her Storey Publishing colleagues to join her in refining the idea, then pitched the concept to Hachette’s International Executive Committee in a Shark-Tank style setting—and the rest is history!
With funding in hand and a development partner selected, she got started building. The Backpack Adventure game was launched on Roblox in late 2023. Developed as a side project, it garnered over a million visits in it’s first year alone.
Kimberly left Hachette and founded Goode Goode Studios in early 2025 to build on that success and focus on cultivating nature curiosity in kids.
A note about the name: goode (pronounced good-ē) is shorthand for good earth, it’s repeated for differentiation and as a nod to Kimberly’s twin daughters who inspired (and continue to inspire) it all!.