Square Enix Raises $2.4 Million With Stay Home & Play Campaign
The entire $2.4 Million raised by the Square Enix's campaign will be donated to numerous charities and food banks
Amid the numerous global and social issues going on right now, it’s been refreshing to see the responses from companies inside the gaming industry. Chiefly among those companies throwing their weight around for change or public benefit is Square Enix. Recently, Square Enix made headlines for its support of Black Lives Matter in the form of a donation of $250,000. However, that amount is dwarfed by the jaw-dropping $2.4 million that Square Enix has recently raised with its Stay Home And Play Campaign.
Started this past March when the Coronavirus Pandemic was still ramping up (feels like a year ago now, doesn’t it?), the Stay Home And Play Campaign was meant to “reward and support gamers for being responsible and practicing social distancing” according to a post from Square Enix. It was also meant to raise money for food banks and other charities that had been put under pressure due to the social and economic effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
From our recent #StayHomeAndPlay initiative with @Steam, we’re extremely grateful to the community worldwide for helping us raise over $2.4MM, 100% of our proceeds we’re donating to food banks and charities across North America & Europe. THANK YOU!https://t.co/kSYBuSxSOz pic.twitter.com/fkDHEMQ40E
— Square Enix (@SquareEnix) June 18, 2020
According to Square Enix, part of the $2.4 million raised by came from Steam bundles. During the campaign, “a full 100% of Square Enix’s proceeds from these sales – every cent, penny or gil – is being distributed to good causes across North America and Europe.”
Of course, while raising money for charities helps everyone, it doesn’t help slow down the spread of the Coronavirus. Which is why Square Enix has also given away a ton of games, including Tomb Raider (2013), Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Lara Croft Go, among others. According to Square Enix, more than 16.4 million of their games have been downloaded for free, hopefully keeping some folks in their homes for a bit longer.
Here are some of the charities that will be receiving donations from Square Enix studios and offices:
- L.A. Food Bank
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
- Northwest Harvest
- Food Banks of Quebec
- Banque Alimentaires du Quebec
- Centraide du Grand Montreal
- Dans La Rue
- Auberges du Coeur
- L’Arret Source
- Grand Frères et Grandes Sœurs
- Mission Michael’s
- La Rue des Femmes
- Centraide Estrie
- The Trussell Trust
- The Big Issue
- Emmaus Connect
- Hamburger Tafel
