National Geographic’s Animal Adventures

National Geographic Games (NGG) has announced a collection of new games from its Interactive Platforms Group. These branded games are aimed at various ages and aim to allow gamers to explore the natural world through play.

Of particular interest is a planned new virtual world game called National Geographic’s Animal Planet. Produced in conjunction with Smart Bomb Interactive this will be a “global-scale virtual world”. According to NGG:

Kids ages 5-11 will be able to explore this online world with animal avatars they choose, customize and outfit for exploration adventures. Along the way they’ll play games with friends, design habitats for their animals and uncover the mysteries of this new world in a series of multiplayer quests and expeditions. Young explorers and their families also will have access to a vast multimedia library created from National Geographic’s world-renowned content libraries and will be able to participate in ongoing virtual “live events” on a multitude of topics, allowing them to learn more about the natural world and its animal inhabitants.

Animal Adventures is scheduled to launch Q2 2010.