Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Today marks the beginning of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2, a huge event in-game and a celebration for players. Developer and publisher Epic Games is taking the occasion as an opportunity to raise both funds and awareness for the people of Ukraine during Russia’s ongoing invasion. Epic Games has announced that for the next two weeks, all of Fortnite’s proceeds will be donated towards humanitarian relief in Ukraine.
Epic Games announced its initiative in a tweet just hours before the update for Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 went live. “Epic is committing all its Fortnite proceeds from March 20, 2022 through April 3, 2022 to humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine.” That’s a full two weeks of revenue from V-Buck packs, Fortnite Crew subscriptions and renewals, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetic packs going directly to those in need.
The Epic Games website indicates that proceeds will be donated directly to Direct Relief, UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), and The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). As noted in the FAQ on this page, Epic will expedite these donations, not even waiting for actual funds to show up from payment partners.
Over the past month, we’ve seen so many companies around the video game industry show support for Ukraine by sending financial aid to those fleeing Russian forces. Epic Games’ decision to time this announcement with the beginning of Chapter 3 Season 2 means that all of the “new season hype” will help fund the cause. Battle Pass purchases, Item Shop Outfits, and everything in between will count. What’s more, Epic Games announced that Xbox would be joining them in that effort, donating all of their net proceeds from Fortnite during the same time period.
Epic Games’ latest move is a major showing of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 is out and all of its proceeds will be going towards humanitarian relief. For more on how the video game industry is responding to the events in Ukraine, we’ve got more coverage here on Shacknews.