Epic will donate two weeks of 'Fortnite' proceeds to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

Starting today through to April 3rd, Epic Games will donate all of its Fortnite proceeds to humanitarian organizations providing on-the-ground relief to Ukrainians affected by the invasion of their country. Players can support the action by making in-game purchases involving real-world money.

That means should you buy V-Bucks, select cosmetic packs and other items, whatever money Epic would usually get will instead go to organizations like Direct Relief and UNICEF that are providing emergency aid, shelter and other forms of support to Ukrainians right now. Epic will also donate proceeds from gift card purchases, provided they’re redeemed during the two-week period.

At the moment, four relief organizations are taking part in the effort. Outside of the two mentioned above, the UN’s Refugee Agency and Food Programme are also involved. Epic said more organizations would join in “the coming weeks.”

What’s more, Microsoft is taking part in the initiative. The company has agreed to contribute net proceeds from sales of all Fortnite content made through the Microsoft Store until April 3rd. Epic notes it will attempt to send any relief funds it generates over the next two weeks as quickly as it can. To that end, the company won’t wait to get the money from its platform and payment partners. Instead, it will send the funds as it logs transactions.

Epic is the latest video game company to offer its support to the people of Ukraine in this way. Riot Games recently ran a player fundraiser where it said it would donate proceeds from the sale of in-game passes and its latest League of Legends skins. As of March 9th, the studio said players had raised more than $2 million. Gaming marketplaces like Itch.io and Humble Bundle have also tried to help, offering bundles with all the proceeds going to relief organizations supporting those affected by the conflict.