The two companies have raised $36 million in just 24 hours’ time
Over the weekend, Epic Games and Microsoft announced they’d be teaming up to donate proceeds in Fortnite towards humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Even one day in, the two companies have raised a significant amount.
On March 20, Epic announced it’s committing all Fortnite proceeds from March 20 through April 3, 2022 towards humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Xbox also committed its net proceeds for Fortnite during this time. The two are sending funds to UNICEF, World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, and Direct Relief.
All “real-money purchases,” from V-Buck packs and gifted Battle Passes to cosmetics, are part of this. Using V-Bucks inside Fortnite is not included, however, as those are not “real-money” purchases.
By today, March 21, Epic announced the effort had already raised $36 million USD in relief efforts. According to its FAQ, Epic is not waiting for the funds to come in from platforms and payment partners; rather, as soon as transactions are reported, they’re being logged and funds are sent to relief organizations.
Together we’ve already raised $36 million USD for humanitarian relief for Ukraine. The funds will go to @UNICEF, @WFP, @Refugees, @DirectRelief. pic.twitter.com/JQESsGxDVt
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 21, 2022
This effort coincides with the launch of Fortnite‘s latest season, which adds characters like Dr. Strange and made a big change in removing building from many game modes.
Epic and Xbox’s efforts are some of many in the games industry to assist relief efforts in Ukraine. Humble announced a special Stand With Ukraine bundle last week, containing many major games and pieces of content. An Itch.io bundle also hosted a significant number of indie creators, all gathered to raise funds for relief efforts.
Meanwhile, developers and publishers have called for support and pledged their own contributions.
