Overwatch players help raise $12.7 million USD
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)
today announced that it will receive an unprecedented $12.7 million USD
donation from Blizzard Entertainment. The donation was tied to worldwide sales
of a limited-edition "Pink Mercy" hero skin for Blizzard’s
internationally acclaimed best-selling game Overwatch®, along
with a special T-shirt created to support the cause. (“Skin” is a game industry
term for an alternate version of a character’s outfit or appearance.) The
gaming community rallied around the fundraising effort, making it the largest
donation by a corporate partner in one year in BCRF’s 25-year history.
The special charity skin was designed
for the Overwatch hero Mercy, a scientist and the “guardian
angel” of the game who has dedicated her life to helping others. The
limited-edition skin was offered as an in-game purchase on PC, PlayStation 4,
and Xbox One, with Blizzard Entertainment donating 100% of the proceeds it
receives from sales of the skin to BCRF.
“Blizzard Entertainment’s record-breaking
commitment to activate change for women’s health by mobilising the gaming
community worldwide will have a lasting impact,” said Stephanie Kauffman, Chief
Strategic Alliances Officer at BCRF. “Blizzard’s support of BCRF will help
accelerate breakthroughs in prevention strategies, improved treatments,
survivorship and quality of life for breast cancer patients worldwide.”
In addition to the charity skin, players
showed their support for the cause with a purchase of a limited-edition Pink
Mercy T-shirt, available for men and women, designed by community artist
VICKISIGH. Blizzard also coordinated charity streams on Twitch with 14 star Overwatch
players from around the world, who collectively raised more than $130,000 USD
for BCRF during the two-week campaign.
"BCRF
does critical work every single day to support women’s health and develop new
research and strategies for preventing, treating, and curing breast cancer, and
we’re proud to make this contribution to their efforts," said Mike
Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "I’m grateful to
all of the Overwatch players around the world who made supporting such a
good cause possible with their enthusiasm for the game and their generosity.”
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