The developers of Fortnite, Epic Games, have confirmed that all proceeds made from the game between 20th March and 3rd April will go towards humanitarian relief for those affect by the conflict in Ukraine.
Explaining the decision, the company said they would be sending the money “as quickly as we can,” adding: “We’re not waiting for the actual funds to come in from our platform and payment partners, which can take a while depending on how the transaction was processed. As transactions are reported, we’ll log them and send the funds to the humanitarian relief organizations within days.”
The organisations they are supporting include Direct Relief, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme and the UN Refugee Agency. These groups, Epic Games said, “are on the ground providing emergency aid, including health support, food and clean water, essential supplies, legal aid, and shelter.”
More organisations will be added to the list in the coming weeks, they added.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 20, 2022
The money being donated will include all subscriptions that are renewed in the period (20th March – 3rd April), all retail purchases of the game and any in-game purchases too, including V-Buck packs, Fortnite Crew, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetic packs such as the Voidlander Pack.
There is no “opt out” policy for gamers currently, so the company have said: “If you’d like to avoid Epic including the funds from your purchase, please hold off buying anything with real money in Fortnite until April 4, 2022 or later.”
Many companies and franchises have taken such actions in recent weeks, to send their support to those affected by the conflict which is now in its 26th day. An estimated 10 million people are now believed to have been displaced as a result of the war, which began on 24th February when Vladimir Putin ordered Russian military to invade Ukraine.
Within the world of gaming alone, Activision, Take-Two, EA and Nintendo all announced they would no longer be selling their products in Russia too. Ubisoft also announced they would be providing alternate housing and early paychecks to their staff in Ukraine.
