Nonprofit brings back Zoombinis educational game and launches Kickstarter

Nonprofit firm TERC is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to bring back Zoombinis, a puzzle game that debuted more than 20 years ago.

TERC originally stood for Technical Education Research Centers, a 50-year-old Boston nonprofit that focuses on K-12 math and science education. And it is teaming up with developer FableVision Studios and the nonprofit The Learning Games Network to create a new version of Zoombinis for iOS and Android tablets.

Zoombinis is a classic educational game that sold more than 1 million copies 20 years ago. The game tells the story of the Zoombinis, or small blue creatures who must escape imprisonment from the evil Bloats and reach the promised land of Zoombiniville.

Children and adults can solve puzzles that test their logical reasoning, data analysis, pattern finding, and problem solving skills.  On their epic journey, the Zoombinis must face a series of increasingly difficult challenges, including Pizza Pass, Titanic Tattooed Toads, and Mudball Wall.

The new version of Zoombinis will sell for $4.99 when it debuts.

“We are excited to relaunch Zoombinis this summer, a game that quickly caught interest in homes and across schools in 1996,” said David Libby, director of technology at TERC, in a statement. “Utilizing touch-screen technology and vibrant graphics, children and adults will solve entertaining puzzles to once again bring Zoombinis to safety.”

If successful, the crowdfunding campaign will assure that the modern remake reaches an audience that will include PC, Mac, and tablets of all sizes.

FableVision Studios is the primary development partner working in tandem with the Learning Games Network, a nonprofit game company which employs one of Zoombinis’ original creators at TERC, Scot Osterweil. Libby at TERC will oversee the whole effort.

“This collaboration is a dream team experience,” said Gary Goldberger, president at FableVision, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to take a classic, beloved game from so many people’s memory and refresh it for modern platforms. Zoombinis has a timeless educational backbone that’s reinforced by story and fun, and we can’t wait for a new generation to experience it.”