Ubisoft encourages donations to Australian wildfire groups in lieu of creating skins—here’s why

“This takes considerable development time, and we feel immediate action is required.”

The Australian brush fires are devastating, having affected thousands of citizens and killed millions of animals. But people are doing their part to lend a hand, including making donations and assisting the firefighting crews. Ubisoft Australia has contributed as well — even if it’s not in the way many fans were hoping.

There’s been a huge outcry for the publisher to make special skins in their popular games, using the profits to donate to the cause. But in a new tweet, Ubisoft Australia explained why that’s not as simple as it sounds.

“We’ve heard the calls requesting we create in-game items to encourage donations,” they said. “However, this takes considerable development time, and we feel immediate action is required.”

It does have a point. While making a special skin is a novel idea, it takes technical planning to put together with existing game code. And that could take weeks, possibly even months, depending on the game.

Ubisoft Australia has taken action in other ways, donating $30,000 to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Recovery Relief Fund. And it encourages others to do the same. “If you want to show your support, you can donate directly to the many organizations who are doing incredible work at this difficult time,” it said.

It provided links to the groups directly in following tweets, including Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery, the WWF and other groups.