Fortnite raises $144 million for Ukraine relief

Cary, N.C. — Epic Games confirmed Monday that players of its popular Fortnite raised $144 million for Ukraine relief efforts in just two weeks.

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Cary, North Carolina-based Epic pledged proceeds from the first two weeks of the game’s newest season toward humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of its sovereign neighbor.

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

For comparison, Forbes offered the following snapshot of other charity drives benefiting a variety of causes and their donation totals:

• Awesome Games Done Quick charity drive of speedrunners raised a record-setting $3.4 million in January.
• Activision has raised $53 million since 2009 for its Call of Duty endowment, which supports veterans.
• Child’s Play, the video game-based charity, has raised $44.5 million since its 2003 founding.

The fundraiser’s 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.

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.

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