New clue in treasure hunt for 24 karat gold statue and huge cash prize

by · Mail Online

The video game designer that created a massive real-world treasure hunt by hiding a gold statue on a forest floor has revealed the biggest clue yet - it's in Massachusetts.

The game, called Project Skydrop, was created by Jason Rohrer, a Dover, New Hampshire man, who has been labeled as 'the world's most interesting video game designer,' the Boston Globe reported.

The hunt was first announced on September 19 - the prize being a 10-ounce, 24 karat gold statue valued at more than $26,000.

And as of today, the cash prize alongside the statue has approached the grand total of $83,000. 

Each day, Rohrer shrinks the map and sends an aerial photo of the prize on the floor to those who registered to play.

On Monday, the radius shrunk down to just 35-miles, and the circle highlighting the potential search area was seen almost entirely on Massachusetts 
The game, called Project Skydrop, was created by New Hampshire man Jason Rohrer, who is a video game designer 

On Monday, the map finally shrunk down to a 35-mile radius - and the circle lies entirely on Massachusetts. 

The radius is centered on the I-91 corridor in the Pioneer Valley - including the college-heavy area around Amherst, Northampton and South Hadley, the Boston Globe added.

It also includes a good amount of wooded areas.

The map initially showed the potential search area as a 500-mile radius circle stretching from New England down to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. 

Hunters participating in the search were given a photo taken just a foot off the ground on the first day.

The image had risen above a tree canopy on Monday - the twelfth day of the hunt.

But even then, not much was revealed. 

And now, there's only nine more days of the treasure hunt, the Project Skydrop website revealed. 

The prize is a gold trophy looking statue, a 10-ounce, 24 karat gold statue valued at more than $26,000 alongside an increasing cash prize currently at $83,000
Each day, Rohrer shrinks the map and sends an aerial photo of the prize on the floor to those who registered to play

Rohrer said that the photo clues will eventually rise to a height where they reveal geographic details that will allow searchers to the location of the prize.  

On the last day of the search, which is set for October 10, the map will shrink to a single square foot - basically pointing the participants directly to the location.

But Rohrer has faith in the players - expecting the gold statue to be found sometime in the third week, which starts on Thursday, the Boston Globe reported.

For just $20, hunters get access to the daily clues and are able to discuss them in a members-only group chat, according to CBS. 

The website offers a live webcam view of the gold trophy along with screenshots of when motion is detected nearby. 

So far, the only motion detected has been squirrels and other wildlife animals that seem to be curious about the statue.

The Project Skydrop website offers a live webcam view of the gold trophy along with screenshots of when motion is detected nearby which so far has only been wildlife interested in the statue
The new radius is centered on the I-91 corridor in the Pioneer Valley - including the college-heavy area around Amherst, Northampton and South Hadley and heavily wooded areas 

Jason Rohrer has been in the video game business for more than two decades, creating games for niche audiences. 

One of his creations - a game called One Hour, One Life - is a philosophical meditation game.

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Treasure hunters close in on 24-karat gold statue valued at $26,000 as map shows potential location

Despite the game being successful in the eyes of critics, he admitted that 'my friends and family never played them because they were too esoteric', the Boston Globe added. 

But he wanted to create something even bigger - and began asking himself how he could create the world's greatest treasure hunt. 

Rohrer enjoys hiking with his three sons and said that the goal of Project Skydrop was to get people off their screens and into the woods - exploring and taking time to be in nature. He wanted to make is accessible enough that anyone can play. 

'This is out there, in the forest, in real time, and it's accessible. You don't need to be a gamer,' Rohrer told the Boston Globe. 

'This is about treasure and hiking and the outdoors, stuff that is interesting to parents and kids and grandparents. And even if you can't get out there, you can participate in your armchair, looking at Google maps, playing along, trying to narrow it down.'

The website also contains an image of the appraisal for the gold treasure
Rohrer collaborated for three years alongside Tom Bailey, a musician and author, who helped create the game, the prize and the music featured in the announcement video
The goal of the treasure hunt was was to create an accessible game that anybody could play by putting their electronics away and stepping out into nature to explore

He worked on the project for three years in collaboration with Tom Bailey, a musician, who helped create the game as well as the music featured in the announcement video. 

Rohrer said that he was inspired by other treasure hunt games - including Fenn Treasure - a hunt to find a cache of gold and jewels that an art dealer and author, Forrest Fenn, hid in the Rocky Mountains.

The prize - estimated to be worth at least a million dollars - took ten years to be found with five participants dying in the process.

But he wanted to include a twist on previous hunts - and created a treasure hunt with an end date.

With autumn quickly approaching, a walk in the woods surrounded by fall leaves and the possibility of finding a gold trophy may not be too bad of an idea.