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Bungie, Infinity Ward, and Ubisoft are contributing towards Australian relief charities through donations and fundraising to aid the wildfire control effort (via games radar).
Australia contends with a wildfire season each year, but the 2019-2020 season has been exceptionally fierce. Approximately 10.7 million hectares of brush have burned away, leading to the emission of 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and the deaths of one billion animals. 27 people have lost their lives in the fires, and national and international aid efforts have attempted to contain its spread and alleviate the impacts. Now, three video game developers have joined their ranks to raise funds for wildfire charities in Australia.
Bungie has designed limited edition T-shirts that contain an exclusive code for a “Star Light, Star Bright” emblem in Destiny 2, and these will be available for pre-order on the official Bungie stores from January 16 to January 18. “Time and time again, you have been Guardians to others in their greatest time of need,” said Bungie senior foundation manager Christine Edwards, and these T-shirts will “lend a helping hand” to those affected in Australia. The proceeds will be divided equally between the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and WIRES Wildlife Rescue, the largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation charity in Australia.
— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) January 11, 2020
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the Outback Pack has been renamed to become the Outback Relief Pack, as part of developer Infinity Ward’s fundraising effort. All earnings are being donated to Australian wildfire charities, and that includes purchases of the Outback Pack that were made before the announcement. The move is “part of [Infinity Ward’s] efforts to help provide relief toward the devastating bushfires in Australia,” and the Outback Relief Pack will be available until the end of the month.
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
And, Ubisoft has donated $30,000 to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Recovery Relief Fund, and encouraged fans of its games to donate to other charities working to stop the wildfires. The Australian Red Cross has been instrumental to evacuations across New South Wales, along with St John Ambulance Australia. “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,” said Ubisoft in an accompanying statement.
