Fortnite maker raises $144 million for humanitarian relief in Ukraine

Video game maker Epic Games announced that it has raised $144 million from Fortnite’s drive to raise money for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Epic launched an “invasion” themed version of the popular video game Fortnite in March that inadvertently coincided with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. The company later announced that all the proceeds from March 20 till April 3 would be donated to relief efforts in Ukraine, as reported by Forbes.

Our deepest thanks to everyone who joined us in supporting humanitarian relief efforts for people affected by the war in Ukraine.

Together with the Fortnite community and @Xbox, we raised $144 million USD for @DirectRelief @UNICEF, @WFP, @Refugees and @WCKitchen. pic.twitter.com/lPAa8lmfJn

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 4, 2022

According to a tweet by the company, Fortnite made $144 million - one of the biggest sums seen in the industry – and donated it to humanitarian organisations such as Direct Relief, UNICEF, UNHCR and the World Food Programme for their relief efforts in Ukraine.

"Really incredible to see how the gaming community can have an impact beyond the playing of games," said Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox in reaction to Epic's announcement about the donation on Twitter.

Fortnite is a hugely popular online video game that released in 2017, and has over 350 million registered users.

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which began in February this year, continues to get worse. It has resulted in thousands of deaths and around four million people have been forced to flee their homes. Moscow’s forces have repeatedly been accused of war crimes, including using internationally banned weapons against civilians.