Blizzard has rounded up a hefty sum of donations to Superstorm Sandy victims, thanks to its loyal World of Warcraft players. WoW fanatics have contributed more than $2.3 million to the ongoing relief efforts, Mashable reported.
WoW players rallied last December after Blizzard, the company behind the eight-year-old fantasy role-playing game, announced that it would donate all adoption fees of an online pet to the American Red Cross for Sandy relief efforts.
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The game maker, coincidentally named after a natural disaster itself, has leveraged the personal community within its popular game to help those affected by the storm. For $10, gamers were able to bring home a ‘Cinder Kitten’ from the pet store, to be used in pet battles. The fiery feline was quickly snapped up by WoW players, with the fundraiser raking in more than $2.3 million through December.
The pet adoption strategy is one that’s historically paid off big for Blizzard. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Blizzard introduced its first adoptable pet for charity — a Cenarion Hatchling that ultimately raised $1.9 million for the disaster relief there.
Until now, American Red Cross has received more than $254 million in donations and pledges for Sandy, the organization said in an online statement. Sandy, the second-costliest superstorm in U.S. history, hit the East Coast in October. The total tab comes to at least $62 billion in damages, according to the Associated Press.
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