Xbox is “joining Epic” in donating ‘Fortnite’ proceeds to charity

Over the weekend, Fortnite developer Epic Games announced it would donate all profits from purchases made between March 20 and April 3 to humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine, and Xbox is now following suit with the same decision.

Announced via Twitter, Xbox says it is “joining Epic in support of the people of Ukraine by contributing net proceeds for Fortnite during this time”.

Xbox is joining Epic in support of the people of Ukraine by contributing net proceeds for Fortnite during this time. https://t.co/ZWEauUpFei

— Xbox (@Xbox) March 20, 2022

This isn’t the only way Xbox is trying to help out, as the company is also highlighting UNICEF‘s emergency response efforts in Ukraine on the console dashboard. Xbox said “You can also donate your Microsoft Rewards points through April 30th and Microsoft will match your contribution.”

Epic Games, however, won’t be waiting for the funds to come in from partners. It said, “As transactions are reported, we’ll log them and send the funds to the humanitarian relief organisations within days.” The support will include sales from V-Bucks, Battle Passes, and all cosmetic packs sold for real money.

Likewise, subscriptions to the Fortnite Crew are included towards the relief funds, and Epic Games has confirmed there is no opt-out for players, and that if they want to purchase items without helping out, they should hold off until after April 4. Also, Epic Games says that “Using V-Bucks in Fortnite will not be included as those are not real-money purchases.”

The gaming industry has rallied to do what it can, with Ubisoft providing alternate housing and early paychecks for its employees in Ukraine. Doom co-creator John Romero has even created a brand new Doom 2 level in order to raise money for charitable organisations helping with the Ukraine crisis.

Elsewhere, Humble’s Stand With Ukraine Bundle has raised over £3million in one day, and is still available until March 25. The bundle contains games such as Satisfactory, Back 4 Blood, Metro Exodus, and Spyro: Reignited Trilogy.

In other news, EA Sports has removed all items relating to Russia from FIFA 22, but it hasn’t removed the Russian advertising that appears on the billboards around the arena.