Call of Duty gets in on Australian relief, pledging DLC sale to charity

Infinity Ward and Activision are pitching in on recovery efforts for the devastating Australian bush fires, renaming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s “Outback Pack” of premium cosmetics and promising all sales of it, past and present, will go toward relief organizations.

The item is now called the Outback Relief Pack, and it goes for 1,800 CoD points, which is roughly $20. For players, it includes the Bushranger operator skin, an exclusive Sniper Rifle Charlie, a koala charm, and other stickers and cosmetics.

Infinity Ward announced the campaign yesterday, saying that all players who previously bought the Outback Pack would have those purchases counted toward the donations. Activision and Infinity Ward will deliver 100 percent of the revenue from sales of the Outback Relief Pack (from all platforms) to various organizations at the end of the month; the fund drive runs until Jan. 31.

Dotesports noted that the Outback Pack launched earlier this month, and three days ago players in the Call of Duty subreddit suggested that all the money from it go to Australian relief efforts.

On Friday, the indie developer and storefront Crytivo announced a two-month drive benefitting recovery efforts in Australia. The bushfire season in Australia, which broke out during a record heat wave, has gained worldwide attention and sympathy. More than 41,000 square miles have burned, and more than 6,000 buildings have been destroyed. Twenty-eight people have died.

Ecologists have linked the unusually devastating fire season to global climate change, and have estimated half a billion animals have died in the New South Wales fires. (The state of New South Wales is in southeastern Australia, with Sydney and capital city Canberra on its coast).