Epic Games stands with Ukraine following an announcement ahead of Fortnite’s latest season launch.
The North Carolina-based game developer vowed to commit all profits made from Fortnite between March 20 and April 3 to support the Humanitarian Relief in Ukraine. This news comes weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-fledged assault on the neighboring country.
Thousands have perished due to the reckless decision, and many of the world’s recognizable brands have stood with Ukraine. Epic has joined that list and will dedicate profits made during the period above to a collection of relief efforts. Furthermore, Xbox will join Epic Games to help Ukrainians in need.
Epic Games & Xbox to Support Ukraine
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 20, 2022
Epic released a statement during the pre-season Fortnite downtime; the developers worked diligently to bring players a new experience following Chapter 3 Season 1. In a blog post, Epic commented on its effort to aid Ukraine with financial support:
“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. Xbox is joining us in this effort and is committing their net proceeds for Fortnite during this time, so that we can get more aid to the people of Ukraine.”
The developers provided a list of charities it will pledge proceeds to help. These include Direct Relief, UNICEF, World Food Programme and UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency.
What Exactly is Allocated to Ukraine?
We’re excited to share that @Xbox is joining us in this effort and is committing their net proceeds for Fortnite during this time, so that we can get more aid to the people of Ukraine. https://t.co/JYpF3ZDLC8
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 20, 2022
You might be wondering what Fortnite-related purchases will benefit Ukraine. According to Epic’s FAQ in the same blog post, this effort includes everything that costs real money, meaning V-Bucks, cosmetics pack, Battle Pass and Fortnite Crew purchases. Epic added that it would not wait for funds to clear and plans to send financial support as transactions are reported.
Regarding Microsoft’s involvement, here is a comment from Epic’s statement:
“Microsoft is contributing net proceeds from all sales of Fortnite content on Microsoft Store between March 20, 2022 to April 3, 2022, in all countries where Fortnite is sold. Net proceeds is equal to the gross proceeds net of returns & chargebacks, billing costs, bandwidth cost, operations cost, and taxes.”
Epic’s decision does not affect content creators within the Support-A-Creator (SAC) program. However, those interested in contributing their earnings to Ukraine can do so independently. Feel free to visit the blog post for more information that we might not have covered.
Russian Sanctions & Ukraine Support
— Donald Mustard (@DonaldMustard) March 20, 2022
The news occurs only a few days after Epic barred Russian residents from benefiting from cash tournaments. While the country’s people can still compete, they stand to gain no earnings should they place inside the money.
Epic Games and Xbox are following a trend of support that is necessary at this time. Ukraine needs help, and thankfully, Epic plans to commit a lot of money to the cause via this Epic Games Ukraine Pledge.