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Epic will donate two weeks’ worth of Fortnite revenue to Ukraine rescue efforts

Fortnite’s new season begins today, and creator Epic will donate 100% of the game’s first two weeks’ revenue to Ukraine-related humanitarian initiatives. The event will run from March 20th through April 3rd and will cover all “real-money transactions” in the game, including purchased V-bucks, subscriptions, gifts battle passes, and select cosmetic packs. (Epic states that “using V-Bucks in Fortnite” will not be included because those are virtual currency purchases.) It will also apply to retail gift card transactions made during the two-week period.

Microsoft will also contribute “their net revenues from Fortnite during this time period so that we can get more relief to the people of Ukraine,” as part of the campaign. The funds raised will be distributed among several organizations, including Direct Relief, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the World Food Programme. According to the developer, additional groups will be included “in the following weeks.”

Epic said it will distribute funding to these charities “as swiftly as possible. We are not awaiting the receipt of funds from our platform and payment partners, which can take some time depending on the method used to conduct the transaction. As transactions are recorded, we will document them and expeditiously transfer monies to humanitarian relief organizations.”

Other gaming-related campaigns have raised millions of dollars for humanitarian help in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, an Itch.io bundle of independent games raised more than $6 million, and a Humble Bundle centered on Ukraine has already topped $9 million.

The new season of Fortnite begins later today, following a stunning event last December that ushered in a new era.