Epic Games, the developer of the mega-successful video game Fortnite, recently revealed that they’ve raised $144 million for Ukraine.
Together with Microsoft’s Xbox, the company pledged to donate all of the profits from the game to the relief efforts for Ukraine for two weeks. The fundraising pledge started on the 20th of March.
The sum will be used for the humanitarian relief efforts done by several charities and to help out the people from Ukraine who’re directly affected by the ongoing war with Russia.
Some of these charities are UNICEF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme, and Direct Relief.
Fortnite Developer Raises $144 Million for Ukrainian Relief
On the day the fundraising efforts stopped, the official Twitter page of Fortnite said:
“Our deepest thanks to everyone who joined us in supporting humanitarian relief efforts for the people affected by the war in Ukraine.”
Together with the community of Fortnite and Xbox, they raised $144 million for these organizations that will directly offer humanitarian relief for people in Ukraine.
Fortnite is an online game based on a virtual world where users can only survive by looking for weapons and other resources while having to eliminate their competitors.
The game is free to play; however, some gamers buy exclusive in-game items online for a better gaming experience.
Epic Game is headquartered in Cary in North Carolina and they announced the fundraising on the same day they released a new season of Fortnite Battle Royale, i.e. Chapter 3, Season 2.
In the first 24 hours, the effort raised $36 million. It closed on April 3rd before the grand total was announced on Fortnite’s Twitter.
The Timing for the Fundraising Was Perfect
Fortnite players create their own superhero avatar and the competitions are done on a dystopian island. This is one of the most popular games globally with millions of players taking part.
Interestingly, up to 100 players can fight individually or in a team to be the last standing on the battlefield, known as the map.
Since the new season is one of the most lucrative periods for the game, the fundraiser was properly timed. Their humanitarian relief donation follows Humble Bundle, a company selling video game bundles online that raised $20 million for Ukraine last month.
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