Welcome to November's edition of Publisher Showcase, where we highlight the website owners across the Nitro network who are shaping standout gaming experiences for communities worldwide.

This edition spotlights WorldGuessr, the passion project of developer Gautam Anand. What started as a childhood love of games and geography has grown into a global classroom favorite that turns curiosity into learning through fun exploration and discovery. Motivated by the need for a free and accessible geography game, Gautam built a community driven platform that teachers, students, and players of all ages have quickly embraced.

Read on to learn how a side project born in a calculus class evolved into an educational hit that is helping people see the world in a completely new way 👇

First up, can you tell us a bit about your career/life background that led you to start Worldguessr?

I’ve been building games since I was a kid, mostly just for fun. Geography always fascinated me because the world feels huge, yet surprisingly small and full of interesting things to learn. While in high school, I noticed that whenever I played geography games with friends, we naturally started talking about culture, history, climate, and architecture. I saw how much learning happened without it ever feeling like school. That idea stuck with me. I wanted to create a game that makes you learn about the world simply by exploring it.

What drove you to create Worldguessr? Did you see a specific gap in the market? Was there a particular insight that motivated you to launch it?

The main motivation came from how limited high quality free geography games had become. A lot of popular geography games moved behind paywalls, and schools could no longer use them freely. I saw a gap for a free, accessible alternative built with the classroom in mind. I wanted students and teachers to get the same fun and educational experience without hitting a subscription page.

How long have you been running your website and how long did it take from development until it was live?

I started building Worldguessr as a side project during my calculus class. The first playable version took about two weeks, but improving it into something polished took months. I launched it while I was still actively experimenting. The game has now been running and evolving for around 1 year.

How did you decide on the specific features and tools available on Worldguessr?

Almost every feature came from real players and teachers. Teachers asked for custom maps and multiplayer rounds for classes. Players wanted better competitions, maps, leaderboards, and new countries. I tried to build a platform that grows with the community rather than from a fixed idea in my head.

How were you able to build a strong online presence for the website? (e.g. SEO, forums, PPC, influencers etc)

I focused on product first and adding things people wanted. That setup a solid stream word of mouth traffic more than paid campaigns ever performed for me. I only used basic SEO strategies to make the site understandable and findable. For the initial push I capitalized on making it a free alternative to existing paywalled Geography games to get an initial flow of users, then it started expanding on its own. 

What have been some of the most effective tactics to drive traffic to your website so far?

I posted it on multiple gaming portal sites such as CrazyGames and CoolmathGames to make it discoverable to interested players and I initially saw a huge influx of players from these sites, which validated my idea and showed me there were interested players to play this game before I dedicated a lot more time to work on it.

What are you most proud of in regards to the success of Worldguessr so far? Any major highlights?

The classroom impact. Seeing Worldguessr used in schools across different countries is something I never expected when I coded the first version in my room. Students have used it to learn about architecture, climate, cultural diversity, and simply to have fun during class. That has been the highlight. 

What advice do you have for new and existing website owners that you wish you knew before you started?

Do not chase perfection before you launch. Launch early, listen closely, and improve based on how people actually use your site. Consistency matters more than inspiration. And most importantly, make something you personally find enjoyable. If you do not enjoy it, others probably will not either.

What do you like best about being a part of Nitro’s network of premium gaming/entertainment websites?

Nitro makes the business side of running a gaming website feel simple and stable. That support lets me focus on what I actually care about: building features, improving gameplay, and listening to users. The partnership feels like a collaboration rather than just infrastructure.

What’s next for Worldguessr?

The next big step is making geography learning more interactive. I want to expand progression, add themed challenges, and create more opportunities for players to learn new facts about the places they explore. We are also working on native mobile apps to expand to that huge audience as well, instead of relying on just web traffic. I’m happy to see the game continue to grow as both a competitive game and a fun learning tool.

A big thank you to Gautam from WorldGuessr. Keep your eyes peeled for more insightful interviews like this in next month's edition of our Publisher Showcase, where we’ll continue to spotlight one of the 500+ stand out websites on Nitro, diving deep into their unique success!

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