Epic has donated all Fortnite proceeds from the first two weeks of the launch of Chapter 3 Season 2 to support relief efforts in Ukraine. Now that the charity effort has come to a close, Epic has confirmed that the full total has reached $144 million. That money is being donated to Direct Relief, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, and World Central Kitchen.
Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 launched on March 20. On March 21, Epic had raised $36 million. On March 22, the number hit $50 million. On March 25, it was $70 million. On March 29, it reached $100 million. On April 3, the last day of the donation drive, the total hit that final high of $144 million. As a charity effort, that’s fantastic, and it also gives us a pretty good idea of how much money Fortnite rakes in around a season launch.
The new Fortnite season is full of tanks, armoured vehicles, and themes of invasion and resistance. While that was all likely designed long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine got underway, the theme was still unfortunately timed.
Earlier in response to Epic’s charity effort, Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov said this on Twitter: “Thank you Epic Games for understanding that people’s lives are not a game. Your support is crucially important for us.”