EA Raises Over $1M For Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami Aid

Electronic Arts announced that it has raised a total of more than $1 million for Japanese relief efforts through various campaigns in its games and efforts by its internal and partner studios. The publisher ran a number of programs designed to raise money for victims of last month's earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. Each of its internal studios had its own approach to attract support, and distributed all the proceeds through the Red Cross, Mercy Corps, and Americares. EA Sports ran a donation program in FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, Visceral Games raised money by auctioning team-autographed Dead Space 2 memorabilia, and BioWare sold four signed and custom-painted Dragon Age II-branded Xbox 360 and PS3 systems on eBay. On the online side, the company's Pogo and The Sims divisions invited their audiences to make donations on a Red Cross co-branded microsite. Play4Free Easy Studio and Playfish invited players to buy themed virtual goods in their titles to fund and show support for relief efforts. Tokyo-based Grasshopper Manufacture, which is creating Shadows of the Damned for the publisher's EA Partners label, pledged to make a cash donation to relief funds. It released an iOS app, Frog Minutes, to raise money for the earthquake and tsunami victims. EA says it also assisted food relief efforts at its EA Canada Burnaby campus, working with the Kids Against Hunger Organization for two days on packing 100,000 meals, which were meant to be sent to "the most severely quake-affected areas of northeastern Japan." "The devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last month touched everyone at EA," says Curt Wilhelm, Real Estate VP at EA's Facilities and Corporate Services. "We're very proud to see our employees and Labels come together quickly and decisively to help those truly in need after such a tragic event."