Rockstar Games Will Donate 5% Of In-Game Revenue To COVID-19 Relief

Rockstar Games has announced that it will donate 5% of its online revenue to COVID-19 relief efforts. The news was revealed in a post from the Rockstar Games Twitter account, where the company explained that, from April 1, 5% of in-game purchases in GTA Online and Red Dead Online will go towards COVID-19 relief. The donation period will last until the end of May.

Rockstar Games and COVID-19 Relief pic.twitter.com/9j6NrtcrFN

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) April 1, 2020

This means that a percentage of the price of Rockstar's in-game microtransactions like Gold Bars in Red Dead Online and Shark Cards in GTA Online will go towards helping aid those who have been affected by COVID-19. "These funds will be used to help local communities and businesses struggling with the impacts of COVID-19, both directly and by supporting some of the amazing organizations who are on the ground," the statement reads. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/how-coronavirus-is-affecting-nintendo"] The decision was made after the team had noticed that communities around Rockstar offices in "North America, the UK, India and beyond" were facing hardship due to the pandemic, with small businesses closing doors and those who need government support unable to access it. "The road ahead will be challenging, and we want to help where we can," the statement reads. It's a charitable move from Rockstar that follows in the footsteps of other companies in the games industry who are doing their bit to help fight the Coronavirus. Last week we saw Nintendo donate nearly 10 thousand respirator masks to frontline staff in Washington. CD Projekt Red is also helping by donating nearly $1 million to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Poland. IGN is encouraging safety and positivity for all of our readers during this pandemic. Read our tips on how to help, and stay safe, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.