Epic Games today announced that the company would be donating all revenue generated from the mega-popular Fortnite video game to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Microsoft has also agreed to partake in this initiative and will also donate all Fortnite proceeds generated on its Xbox consoles.
It’s worth noting that Epic Games and Microsoft aren’t just donating profits from Fortnite-related sales but the entirety of proceeds generated from the game.
This Ukraine fundraising initiative will run from today, March 20th, through to April 3rd and includes the purchase (with real-world money or store credit, not in-game V-Bucks) of V-Bucks, new and renewed Fortnite Crew subscriptions, and the purchase of the new Chapter 3 Season 2 Battle Pass which beings in just under an hour from now.
The value of codes received elsewhere that are redeemed within Fortnite before April 3rd will also be included.
The announcement post currently lists UNICEF, Direct Relief, the UN World Food Programme, and TUNHCR as the initial organizations that will receive funds raise though it also states that more groups will be added in the future.
For those who don’t want to support Ukraine, Epic Games makes their position rather clear.
“All of Epic’s Fortnite proceeds earned in the window will be distributed to support humanitarian relief,” the announcement reads. “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.”
In addition to the above initiative to support Ukraine, Epic Games also recently halted sales in Russia though refrained from suspending its services entirely. Ironically, this move now means that Fortnite players in Russia who are against the invasion will be unable to support Ukraine like the rest of the world.
Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine. We’re not blocking access for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) March 5, 2022
Microsoft has also vowed to suspend several aspects of its business in Russia in an attempt to pressure the government to consider ceasing its attacks.
As for Fortnite’s latest Battle Pass, this is one of the very few times where almost nothing has leaked from it ahead of the update which is now rolling out to Xbox consoles, Windows PCs, and all other supported platforms. There are some rumors that Marvel’s Doctor Strange could be a part of the Battle Pass and that more members of The Seven will appear. All will be revealed soon.
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