OREANDA-NEWS. Maersk is launching a new computer game called 'Quest for Oil'. Maersk is taking the lead in an innovative way by using a video game to open up the oil business to everyone. Quest for Oil is the first game of its kind and with the convergence of forces, innovation and technology Maersk gives the chance to experience the challenging world of being on a drilling rig with its 53,000 tonnes of steel rammed into the bottom of the ocean.

With the free, world-wide distribution of the real-time strategy game 'Quest for Oil,' Maersk unfolds the unknown universe of oil exploration and invites you to embark on a conquest of the depths of the seabed.

"Most people take for granted that we have oil and natural gas and not many people understand what it takes to find and produce it. The world's need for oil and gas is leading exploration into ever deeper waters and ventures demanding precision and cutting edge technology. It's a sophisticated, fascinating industry and 'Quest for Oil' offers everybody a glimpse of what oil and gas exploration is all about today," says Jakob Thomasen, CEO of Maersk Oil.

Using Maersk Oil and Maersk Drilling's vast experience in the high-tech oil industry, Maersk opens the virtual doors to the pursuit of oil in the deep waters off Qatar and the North Sea, testing strategic and practical skills to the utmost.

To master the challenge players will need to test analytic skills looking for oil on a seismic map. What does the underground look like? Which layers of earth does it consist of? And where is the oil locked? You will be tested on how precisely you position your high-tech drilling equipment, always keeping an eye on temperature and pressure, before you can start extracting and producing the oil found. You have to constantly make the right analysis and decisions and then use the knowledge you gain to play 'Quest for Oil'.

"New times calls for new measures, and we want to use the computer game to tell the story of an extremely innovative business, which the entire world depends on, in a new and engaging way. We wish to engage in dialogue about our oil and energy business through gamification and at the same time give all interested the best opportunity to experience the underground," explains Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling.

Available content includes soundbites, edited packages and game footage. An edited package and still images from the launch event are now available