A New Hampshire game designer announced on September 19 that he had hidden a 10-troy ounce, 24-karat gold statue worth $26,000 on the forest floor, but now the shrinking map location has treasure hunters closing in.
Jason Rohrer of Dover is one of the co-creators of Project Skydrop – a real scavenger hunt for a golden statue hidden somewhere on public land in the northeast.
When the game was rolled out, the map showed that the potential search area was a circle with a radius of 500 miles spanning New England to Washington DC.
But by Monday, the map release had narrowed the area to a 35-mile radius, with the circle approaching Massachusetts and a small portion of Vermont.
It is centered around the I-91 corridor in the Pioneer Valley, which includes the towns of Amherst, Northampton, South Hadley and miles of dense forest.
Jason Rohrer of Dover is one of the co-creators of Project Skydrop – a real-life scavenger hunt for a golden statue hidden somewhere on public land in the Northeast
The lucky winner will receive a 10 troy ounce 24 carat gold statuette valued at 26,000 and the prize premium currently valued at $76,372 and steadily rising by the second.
The golden statue is hidden somewhere in Massachusetts or a bit of Vermont, according to the latest 35-mile map unveiled Monday
For players who have invested heavily in finding the location of the treasures, they can pay a $20 registration fee, which will give them access to a changing aerial map of the forest floor.
The first photo sent was just a foot above the ground, but last Monday the image rose above the canopy, the Boston sphere reported.
Rohrer said that by the end of the hunt, the photo will reach a height where players can identify geographical details that will be an important clue to the treasure’s location.
Subscribers also have access to clues sent every day between 9am and 3pm.
But clues are sent in a “first member, first sent” order, meaning those who join first will get their clues first. If someone joins later, he or she will still have access to the clues released from previous days.
For those players who have invested heavily in finding the location of the treasures, they can pay a registration fee of $20, which will give them access to a changing aerial map of the forest floor. IMAGE: Rohrer (left) with his sister Jacks (right)
Project Skydrop is expected to be resolved by October 10, when the map will shrink to just one square meter
Subscribers will also have access to clues sent every day between 9am and 3pm, but clues will be sent on a ‘first member, first sent’ order, meaning those who join early will get their clues first
There is also one disagreement server for subscribers where they can chat about their findings, with no fewer than 10,613 members.
For the winner, it’s not just the value of the golden statue they walk away with; the prize premium is currently estimated at $76,372 and is steadily increasing by the second, as can be seen on the project’s website.
Internet sleuths are putting their heads together online to figure out the treasure’s location – even Rohrer has taken part in discussions on his Reddit account.
On the GeoPuzzle Reddit thread a aftershowing a photo of the trail camera monitoring the golden statue, one user commented: ‘No visible moss growth either. So the camera is probably facing north.’
Rohrer was apparently impressed by this find and wrote back: ‘Actually, I think you’re right. You’re a smart little tin can!’
Users also joke about the camera photo of a squirrel next to the trophy – paying homage to the original promo video that featured an animated squirrel with the treasure.
One user posted a photo of a squirrel in the woods and wrote “found it,” to which a Redditor said, “That squirrel knows where the treasure is.” If we find the squirrel, we’ll find the treasure.’
Users are also making fun of the camera photo of the squirrel next to the trophy – paying tribute to the original promo video featuring an animated squirrel with the treasure
Rohrer and Tom Bailey worked together on Project Skydrop for three years. Bailey helped create the game, design the statue and create the music for the impressive announcement video. IMAGE: Rohrer (left) with his sister Jacks (right)
Rohrer and Tom Bailey worked together on Project Skydrop for three years. Bailey helped create the game, design the statue and create the music for the impressive announcement video.
Rohrer has a robust reputation in the gaming world for his creation of Passage, Inside a Star Filled Sky and A game for someone – a game intended to be played 2,000 years in the future and buried somewhere in the Nevada desert.
Rohrer told the Boston Globe that his latest project is his attempt to improve the scavenger hunt as a gaming genre.
If we can, Rohrer wrote on Reddit that he would like to do a treasure hunt somewhere in Europe.
Project Skydrop is expected to be resolved by October 10, when the map will shrink to just one square meter.