Communiqué de presse
World of Warships Reveals Partnership With Ocean Conservation Charity FORCE BLUE for World Ocean Month
Profits from the game’s first-ever collaboration with iconic character Popeye the Sailor Man will support the ocean conservation and veterans’ charity FORCE BLUE
With a longstanding history of supporting veteran and historical non-profit organizations, this collaboration marks World of Warships’ entry into ocean conservation, as they work in partnership with Popeye the Sailor Man to support the charity FORCE BLUE.
In support of FORCE BLUE’s efforts, Wargaming will be making a donation of 50,000 USD to the organization. On top of this donation, 10% of the net revenue generated from the sale of Popeye items will also be shared in support of the charity following the conclusion of the campaign.
FORCE BLUE, which was founded in 2016, is a charity with a focus on resolving two issues: the deterioration of the planet’s marine ecosystems and the difficulties far too many military veterans face when their service ends and they no longer have a mission. FORCE BLUE has used this as an opportunity to bring highly qualified veterans from special forces under the instruction of renowned scientists and environmentalists. Through this training, these veterans are equipped to travel to different parts of the world, carrying out missions to preserve and restore marine biodiversity.
FORCE BLUE will also be joining World of Warships for a World Ocean Day Twitch livestream event on June 8. As a part of the livestream, they’ll be joined by two key figures from the FORCE BLUE team: Rudy Reyes—actor, U.S Recon Marine veteran, and the organization’s cofounder—will be joining the stream alongside Steve “Gonzo” Gonzalez, U.S. Navy SEAL Veteran and FORCE BLUE Special Projects & Events Director. The two will discuss the two-pronged mission of the charity, providing insight into the vital importance of marine conservation, as well as how the charity’s operations work to support the mental health of veterans during and after their transition back to civilian life.
“FORCE BLUE is honored to be partnering with World of Warships in support of World Ocean Month. I don’t think there’s a single veteran on our team who isn’t a fan of Popeye, and so to be working with the two of them while championing our mission of preserving and restoring the world’s marine ecosystems is an incredible opportunity.” commented Jim Ritterhoff, Co-Founder and Executive Director at FORCE BLUE.
Live from June 1, the Popeye Charity Bundle includes two Commanders—Popeye and Bluto—each with a unique voiceover, as well as two flags and a unique camouflage for Tier VII USS Colorado. Alongside this, running throughout the month of June until 30 June, World of Warships will also see players take on a special “Save the Ocean” mission chain with weekly sprints and a free-themed container waiting at the end.
This follows the latest World of Warships content update, which launched on May 24 and delivered European destroyers into Early Access, the release of the Pan-American cruisers, and the return of the Convoy battle type. World of Warships is the world’s leading free-to-play naval warfare game from developer and publisher Wargaming, where players battle against each other at the helms of ships from the largest library of over 600 historically accurate war vessels from the 20th century.
YouTube Links:
https://youtu.be/6-w8eiYEQ5c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQh8JMWfqw
About World of Warships:
World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat PC game from Wargaming. With its massive fleet of iconic war vessels—including five different ship classes—and strategically designed environments, World of Warships provides the ultimate naval warfare gaming experience, suitable for everyone. Thanks to having the largest collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships prides itself as being a digital ship museum and a focal point for naval history enthusiasts. New thematic content and innovative game modes are added on a regular basis, ensuring that its broad player base can always expect diverse, fresh, and exciting gameplay.
One franchise – multiple platforms
After finding massive success on PC, the unique gameplay and design of World of Warships has been adapted to bring free massive naval battles to other platforms. World of Warships: Legends is available on PlayStation and Xbox, and World of Warships Blitz is available on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Official website:
About Wargaming:
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry. Its 16 offices around the world include studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius, and Belgrade. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming's titles across all major gaming platforms. Its flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz, World of Warships, World of Warships: Legends, and World of Warships Blitz.
Official website:
About Popeye:
Sailor. Tough guy. Hero. Legend. That's Popeye! He’s an underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut, and a love of canned spinach; he’s unassuming, unsophisticated, and undeterred by a challenge. From the minute he walked into people’s lives through the "Thimble Theatre" comic strip and muttered his famous "Ja think I'm a cowboy?" line, Popeye the Sailor Man captured the hearts of millions of fans around the globe. As the star of his own comic strips and animated content on screens both big and small, Popeye became quickly ingrained in American culture and today remains one of the most recognizable pop culture icons in the world.
For more information, visit www.popeye.com.
About King Features:
King Features is a premier producer and distributor of the world’s most iconic intellectual properties and a leader in classic character licensing and franchise development. With one of the longest-running consumer product programs in the industry, King Features’ portfolio includes world-renowned pop culture brands such as Popeye®, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, The Phantom™, Hägar the Horrible, Moomin, Prince Valiant® and Mandrake the Magician. King Features produced the Emmy nominated series The Cuphead Show! with Netflix Animation which debuted in 2022. As content syndication specialists, the company distributes beloved comics such as Blondie, Beetle Bailey®, Mutts™, and dozens of others as well as columns, editorial cartoons, and puzzles across multiple platforms and content providers around the globe. King Features is part of Hearst Newspapers, which publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York), and operates local digital marketing services and directories.
About FORCE BLUE:
Founded in 2016, FORCE BLUE is the only non-profit organization in the world that retrains and redeploys former special operations veterans and military-trained combat divers to work alongside scientists and environmentalists on marine conservation missions.
Harkening back to the days of Jacques Cousteau and the French frogmen he trained, FORCE BLUE has assembled a cadre of elite military veterans with the aptitude and ability to achieve great things on the conservation front—and with the visibility to let the world know about it! Through its composition and commitment, FORCE BLUE is building a model of caring, cooperation, and positive change with the power to restore lives and the planet.