The new season of Fortnite kicks off today, and developer Epic will donate all proceeds from the first two weeks of the game’s operations to humanitarian work in Ukraine. The action will run from March 20 to April 3 and will include all in-game “Krypton Gold”, which means buying V-bucks, subscriptions, a gifted battle pass, and certain cosmetic packs. (But Epic notes that “use of V-Bucks in Fortnite will not be included, as these aren’t purchased with money.) Two-week retail gift card purchases are also included.
As part of this effort, the developer “commits to net Fortnite during this time so that it can provide more aid to the people of Ukraine”. Funds will be donated to several different organizations, including Direct Relief, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF and the World Food Programme. It said more support groups would be added: “in the coming weeks”.
Epic said it will send funds to these organizations “as quickly as possible” because it takes time to wait for the actual funds from the platform and payment partners to arrive, although this may still take a while depending on how the transaction is processed. Once transaction reports are complete, Epic will document them and send funds to humanitarian relief organizations within days.”
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 20, 2022
The news comes as other gaming-related efforts have successfully raised millions of dollars for humanitarian relief in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, an indie game bundle on Itch.io raised more than $6 million, while Ukraine-focused Humble Bundle has surpassed $9 million.
The new season of Fortnite kicks off later today, kicking off a whole new chapter after a dramatic event last December.