Tag Archives: Ukraine

Fortnite Raised $144 Million for Ukraine Relief

Gaming, ,

There were several gaming companies who chose to prevent people in Russia from playing their games. Two gaming companies went the other direction, and created fundraisers to help people who are in Ukraine. Personally, I think raising money as a form of support is a good way to provide help to those in need.

The Verge reported that Fortnite raised a total of $144 million for Ukraine relief efforts in two weeks. The game raised $36 million on its first day alone.

The Fortnite Twitter account @FortniteGame tweeted: “Our deepest thanks to everyone who joined us in supporting humanitarian relief efforts for people affectedly the war in Ukraine. Together with the Fortnite community and @Xbox, we raised $144 million USD for @DirectRelief, @UNICEF, @WFP, @Refugees and @WCKitchen.”

Direct Relief has a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. The UNICEF Twitter account’s bio reads: “As war escalates in #Ukraine, UNICEF is on the ground reaching children with water, health and education services. Here’s how you can help.” @WFP is The United Nations’ World Food Programme. @Refugees is the United Nations’ refugee agency. @WCKitchen is the World Central Kitchen. It was founded by Chef Jose Anders, who goes to the frontlines in times of crisis to provide meals to people.

Engadget reported that the Fortnite campaign aligned with the start of Fortnite’s latest season, meaning that many players were buying V-Bucks to unlock the latest Battle Pass and scoop up new in-game items. Epic and Xbox donated their cuts of gifted Battle Passes, Fortnite Crew subscriptions and gift cards redeemed during that time to relief efforts as well.

Riot Games (maker of League of Legends) also held a fundraiser to help people in Ukraine. @RiotGames tweeted: Thanks to the efforts of our amazing players, we’ve raised $5.4 million total in funds to support humanitarian efforts in Eastern Europe”.

The tweet was the start of a thread which provided further explanation. Riot Games tweeted that $1.8 million will be going to the International Medical Corps. Another $1.8 million will be going to Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders. And another $1.8 million will be going to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Better late than never: Budweiser pulls out of Russia

Information,

Within twenty-four hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while governments were still contemplating what actions to take, companies began announcing their exits from Vladimir Putin’s country. None of the government hand-wringing slowed down corporations and Anonymous from taking a stand on the situation. 

Now, Budweiser is jumping on board the wagon, more than a month since the invasion first occurred. Before faulting the company, it’s best to step back and take a larger view of the situation. The brewer didn’t have its own choice, the one to blame is more likely the parent company. 

Budweiser is currently owned by Ab Inbev a company that formed from the merger of a brewing company based in Belgium and one based in Brazil that occurred in 2004. In 2008 that company then purchased Anheuser Busch. 

So, the conglomerate has finally reached the decision that it will cease business ties with Vladimir Putin’s nation. Yes, it was slow, but let’s still be thankful that the move was made because every little bit helps. And believe it or not, some companies are still continuing the practice. We won’t name them in this story, but there are several places online that keep a compiled list of them, so you can easily find out the names and make your own purchase decisions, if you so choose.