Right now, there are a series of horrible wildfires going on in Australia that have destroyed 1.5 billion acres of land, killed billions of animals, displaced countless people, and will likely have an untold ecological impact on not just that country, but the world for years to come. A lot of aid is needed to help combat this, and Ubisoft Australia is chipping in to do their part. The company has donated $30,000 to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Recovery Relief Fund. They then followed up by asking people to donate to similar organizations, both local and international, that are providing relief and assistance to Australia during the fires.
The bushfire crisis has devastated communities across the nation and the scenes of loss are heartbreaking.
We’ve heard the calls requesting we create in-game items to encourage donations, however this takes considerable development time and we feel immediate action is required. pic.twitter.com/7JPg0QPOqQ
— Ubisoft Australia (@UbiAustralia) January 9, 2020
In the tweet announcing the donation, Ubisoft Australia actually notes that players have been asking them to make in-game items that would see some of the money made off of them donated to the effort. However, Ubisoft Australia felt that it would take too long to develop, market, and sell those items and that the wildfire was an immediate issue that needed immediate action. As such, they chose to donate the money directly rather than wait for the items to be made. They didn’t rule out making items for such a purpose in the future though.
This isn’t the first time that Ubisoft has gotten directly involved with relief after a disaster. Last year, parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral were destroyed in a fire. Ubisoft responded by making their model of the Notre Dame from Assassin’s Creed Unity available for the reconstruction effort since it was a highly detailed model that Ubisoft level designer Caroline Miousse spent two years making sure was as accurate as possible. Additionally, Ubisoft isn’t the only company that does donations like this. Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has donated much of his money to preserve wildlife. Sweeney has donated much of his personal fortune to the cause, including helping fund an expansion to the Mount Mitchell State Park, donating $15 million to Box Creek Wilderness, and personally buying 40,000 acres of wilderness to preserve it. Bungie is also fundraising for wildfire relief organizations in Australia.
[Source: Twitter]
