Final Fantasy XIV charity march raises over $21,000 for hurricane relief
12-hour livestream reached $1,000 target "right after the event started"
Players of Final Fantasy XIV have donated more than $21,000 to relief efforts following recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Square Enix community members hosted an in-game charity march last weekend where users joined a specific server and marched across the world of Eorzea. The event was livestreamed and was accompanied by a trivia contest and in-game after party, all encouraging both players and viewers to donate.
PCGamesN reports that the 12-hour event raised a total of $21,550 for Direct Relief, the charity that has been helping with clean-up and rescue following both Hurricane Harvey and Irma.
Originally the target was $1,000, but a Reddit post reveals this was met "right after the event started". A revised target of $5,000 was "quickly exceeded" within three hours.
Several video games firms have been encouraging players to donate towards Direct Relief. Last week, Roblox promised up to $25,000 based on sales of in-game hats, while streaming group Games Done Quick raised over $227,000 with their charity event.
Other companies getting involved include Destiny 2 studio Bungie and Valiance Online developer SilverHelm Studios. This morning, Blizzard announced it was bringing its World of Warcraft charity pet sale forward to assist with fundraising.