Gamers for Ukraine: Fortnite developer donating two weeks’ game proceeds to Ukraine relief

CARY, N.C. — Epic Games has confirmed that proceeds from the first two weeks of Fortnite’s new season that launched Sunday will be donated to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.

>> Read more trending news

In a statement, the gaming giant said Xbox-owner Microsoft would also be doing the same.

Specifically, proceeds will be directed to nonprofit Direct Relief, as well as three United Nations agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme, the BBC reported.

According to Epic, the fundraiser will remain active through April 3 and will include all “real-money purchases” in the game. Qualifying purchases also include retail gift card purchases, as long as they are redeemed during the two-week fundraising window, The Verge reported.

Microsoft, meanwhile, will be “committing their net proceeds for Fortnite during this time, so that we can get more aid to the people of Ukraine,” the company stated.

According to the BBC, Ukraine has long reigned as one of “Europe’s largest game development hubs.”

Other gaming firms publicly supporting Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of its eastern neighbor nears the one-month mark include Activision Blizzard, best known for developing Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft. While Activision Blizzard has halted its sales in Russia, Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco confirmed that it is donating nearly $850,000 to Save the Children, the British news network reported.

Meanwhile, a consortium of indie game developers on itch.io raised more than $6 million earlier this month, and a Ukraine-focused fundraising campaign on Humble Bundle has already surpassed $9 million, The Verge reported.

©2022 Cox Media Group