When news of the Australian bushfires began to gain traction across the news and social media, a Reddit user by the name of ‘Gazoob’ suggested in the Modern Warfare subreddit that proceeds from the game’s pre-existing ‘Outback’ bundle should be donated to the cause. After receiving widespread support from the game’s community, Infinity Ward responded in hand by renaming the bundle to the ‘Outback Relief’ bundle, with 100% of net proceeds going to assist in the relief. With the fundraiser having concluded on the 31st of January, Activision have now announced that over $1.6 million was raised for the cause.

Making the announcement on its blog, Activision reported that “players and fans worldwide have come together to raise more than $1.6 million dollars through the purchase of the ‘Outback Relief Pack.’ Sales of the pack ended Friday, January 31st. These funds will help provide relief toward the devastating bushfires in Australia.”

The organisation chosen was Direct Relief, “a humanitarian aid organization active in all 50 U.S. states and more than 80 countries worldwide, who is administering 100% of the funding directly in Australia to provide relief”.

Commenting on the fundraiser, Direct Relief’s President and CEO, Thomas Tighe called it “an astounding act of generosity on the part of Activision and the larger Call of Duty community, and we at Direct Relief are deeply grateful. Most importantly, the Call of Duty community's amazing support will translate directly into help for people in Australia.”

The outback Relief pack included an operator skin, a cosmetic change to one of the game’s Sniper Rifles, a koala weapon charm, a sticker, a calling card, an operator quip, a new finishing move, and 1 tier skip – costing 1800 COD Points (around £12-15) in total. All net proceeds from those who purchased the bundle prior to the announcement, still went to Direct Relief.

Video game communities have the power to enact real positive change, and raising over $1.6 million for the bushfire relief is a core example of this. The blog post concluded by saying that “from everyone at Activision, Call of Duty and Infinity Ward, thank you for your support.”

KitGuru says: Are you proud to see so much being raised for the cause? Did you purchase the Outback Relief bundle? Let us know down below.

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