Earlier this month, charity digital storefront Humble Bundle launched the Humble Heal: COVID-19 Bundle. Proceeds from this collection of games would be split between charities that are fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.
After just a week of being available to the public, the bundle raised a staggering $1,170,824 from 54,374 sales. The donations will be split between four charities: Direct Relief, Doctors Without Borders, International Medical Corps, and GiveIndia.
Of course, given the recent spike in cases across India and the spread of a new variant, it will be especially helpful to the region. Speaking of the donation, GiveIndia said, “At a time when the country’s healthcare system is crumbling under the second wave of the pandemic and Indians are facing so much devastation, you have come forward and joined hands with us”. They thanked everyone for their generosity.
The games included in the bundle included the immensely popular indie RPG, Undetale, as well as AAA hits, Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package, and BioShock Remastered. The value of all the games on offer came to $657, but consumers could pay as little as $20, choosing to pay more if they so wished. 100% of the proceeds are going to the selected charities.
While this is undoubtedly a huge achievement for an amazing cause, it’s worth noting that Humble Bundle’s charitable practices came under fire recently. Last month, the storefront announced it was phasing out the donation sliders, in which consumers could decide how much of their donation went to charity, the game’s publisher, and to Humble Bundle itself. The change would cap charitable donations to just 15% of the purchase, giving the biggest slice of the pie to the publisher, and then to the storefront.
However, in the face of widespread public backlash, Humble Bundle reversed its decision last month. The company apologized for the change, claiming it is “just as committed to supporting charity as we were when we launched." The storefront didn’t rule out further changes to the donation system, but stated that the feedback would be taken on board.
Source: Humble Bundle