The Fall Guys phenomenon just keeps on generating incredible stories, but this is the best yet, as a charity auction to design a new skin for the breakout hit soared to an incredible $1m over the weekend. With the cash going to UK-based charity SpecialEffect.
Top streamers Ninja and MrBeast were joined by AimLab and G2 Esports in a combined bid at the last-minute which took everyone by surprise.
“We’re blown away,” said Dr Mick Donegan, Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect. “A huge thank you to @MrBeastYT, @Ninja, @G2esports and @aimlab for their amazing generosity, and to Mediatonic and Devolver Digital for this unique initiative.”
And the huge donation couldn’t come at a more critical time.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions hit earlier this year, the charity was facing a significant reduction in funding income due, in part, to many of its key fundraising events being cancelled or postponed. As a charity that doesn’t charge for its services, this donation will be invaluable in helping to make up for that shortfall.
“It will enable us to continue an uninterrupted service for the many people with severe physical disabilities and developers around the world who are asking for our help in ever greater numbers year on year. What’s more, the demands on our services are rising even more rapidly as a result of the auction itself. Bring it on!”
And that’s not all, as the contributors have dedicated themselves to doing a Fall Guys stream to raise even more money for the charity in the near future.
The charity will be able to help more people like eight year-old Theo, “who is a huge fan of obstacle games, but the games controller and iPad were too hard for him to use. Our assessment team recently set him up with a special joystick and buttons setup combination. Since then it’s been much easier for him to play and he’s now having a blast with Fall Guys!”
The donation will also boost all aspects of the charity’s work, including the development of a range of globally available resources for accessible gaming such as EyeMine, a utility for playing Minecraft with eye-control. The charity also provides support and advice for software development, helping the likes of EA, Playground Games, DoubleFine, and Rare to make games like Forza Motorsport, FIFA, and Sea of Thieves more easily playable.
