Fortnite publisher Epic Games donates 50 million US dollars to humanitarian causes in Ukraine after just a few days. In-game purchases benefit war victims.
“To date, we have collectively raised $50 million in humanitarian aid to support those affected by the war in Ukraine,” Epic Games announced via Twitter on Tuesday. This means that all purchases made by players in Fortnite will benefit the victims of the war.
As of today, we’ve raised $50 million USD together in humanitarian relief funds to support people affected by the war in Ukraine.
To see more about how the funds are being distributed visit https://t.co/aexRh7ZEWQ pic.twitter.com/IETgljrXV8
– Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 22, 2022
Through in-game purchases in Fortnite, Epic Games will donate all proceeds to humanitarian aid projects for the war-affected people in Ukraine from March 20 to April 3, 2022. After the first two days, the total will already be 50 million US dollars. Due to the ongoing campaign period, further sums in the millions are expected.
“All Fortnite transactions made with real money between 20 March 2022 and 3 April 2022 will be distributed,” Epic Games said. “This includes V-Bucks packs, Fortnite Crew subscription subscriptions, Battle Passes given away, and packs with cosmetic items available for real money, such as the Void Dweller pack. Proceeds from cards for V-Bucks and cosmetic game items purchased at retail will also be considered if the cards are redeemed in-game within the above time period.”
Humanitarian aid projects include organisations such as Direct Relief, the UNICEF Children’s Fund, as well as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP). These institutions help directly on the ground in Ukraine and provide people with water, food, shelter and offer counselling. Epic Games plans to donate to more organisations in the near future.
Fortnite has been Epic Games’ best seller for years. In the boom period from 2018 to 2019, the company generated nine billion US dollars in sales with the Battle Royale. Even today, the Free2Play game enjoys great popularity, which is available in Chapter 3 Season 2 for a short time without the characterizing construction mode.