Nearly 1,000 indie games up for grabs for a $10 donation to help Ukraine
Indie digital storefront Itch.io has rolled out a massive Bundle for Ukraine, a collection of nearly 1,000 games for a minimum purchase price of just $10, with proceeds going to charities supporting the people of Ukraine.
The bundle contains 992 items including games, books, music and more from over 700 creators who pitched in to donate their work.
According to Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games, who hosted the Bundle for Ukraine, several prominent developers and publishers signed up to itch.io specifically to be included in the charity bundle, which contains almost 600 digital video games, over 300 analog tabletop RPGs, and dozens of asset packs and books.
While the sheer number of items seems overwhelming, there are some indie gems in the package that cost more than the minimum $10 donation.
On Steam, the narrative-driven platform game Celeste, about climbing a mountain already costs $19.99, making the bundle already a good deal.
Other notable games include A Short Hike, Towerfall Ascension, Superhot, Skatebird, Kingdom: Two Crowns, Hidden Folks and Super Hexagon, to name a few, as recommended by Kotaku.
All in all, items would normally cost $6,552, but anyone can download all for a little over $10 (P522.00).
“The people of Ukraine are under attack. As game developers we want to create new worlds, not to destroy the one we have. That's why we've banded together to present this charity bundle to help Ukrainians survive this ordeal and thrive after the war ends. This cause has resonated with creators around the globe, to the extent that our bundle contains almost 1,000 games, tabletop RPGs, books, etc.,” Necrosoft Games explained.
"We kept the minimum low, but we highly urge you to pay above the minimum if you can afford to do so. We stand with Ukrainians, and with all people around the world who despise war," they added.
According to Sheffield, they originally aimed to raise just $100,000, but surpassed that in just an hour. The bundle has managed to surpass a $2M target in just 24 hours, with 9 days still left.
On Wednesday, March 9, the target was doubled to $4 million. As of this writing, the indie developers have managed to raise over $2.1 million, with a top contribution of $9,000 from an extremely generous donor.
We've updated the goal for the itch Ukraine bundle! We reached $2m in just over a day, dare we try for $4m with our remaining 9 days? I say we dare! ~1,000 games/TTRPGs/etc with all proceeds benefitting charities helping the people of Ukraine. https://t.co/oSgXio6UkJ pic.twitter.com/Vj26ZQyA5v
— brandon sheffield (@necrosofty) March 9, 2022
Funds raised by the Bundle for Ukraine on Itch.io will be split evenly between two charities: The International Medical Corps, which provides medical assistance in the region with minimal fundraising overhead—80 percent of donations go directly to medical aid—and Voices of Children, a Ukrainian organization that helps children cope with the horrors of war.
The "Bundle for Ukraine" will be available for purchase until Thursday, March 17, 2022. Check out all the games up for grabs and download the entire bundle here.