343 Industries, best known for developing the Halo series, has raised more than $430,000 to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts.
The video game developer raised the amount through two different avenues. Fans could purchase a T-shirt bearing the logo of the Spartans, which has since been sold out, or go digital with the Relief & Recovery REQ Pack.
The proceeds have been donated to GlobalGiving’s coronavirus relief fund. At time of writing, more than $4.2 million has been raised to help “stop the virus’s spread and give communities on the front lines of the crisis the resources they need to act quickly and protect the most vulnerable.”
With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, stay-at-home orders across the world have caused video gaming to upsurge in users and hours. Gaming platform Steam broke 24.5 million users online concurrently last month, setting record after record.
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Numerous esports and gaming events have also been affected, with several electing to transition to an online format while others have been outright canceled.
343 Industries isn’t the first video game developer to aid the cause—and likely won’t be the last. Riot Games, along with its co-founders, donated $1.5 million to relief efforts in California and Bethesda Softworks contributed $1 million.
