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World of Warcraft Community Raises $1.5 Million for Ukraine Through In-Game Pets
Once again, the World of Warcraft community has come together to support a worthy cause. Players of Blizzard Entertainment’s popular online game have raised over $1.5 million for BlueCheck efforts in Ukraine by purchasing two special in-game pets: Sunny and Flurky.
The Pet Pack for Ukraine was available for purchase in the game or through the Battle.net shop for a limited time. Priced at $20/£18, the pack included Sunny, a lovable golden retriever, and Flurky, a baby murloc who leaves a trail of flowers as he follows you.
Sunny and Flurky were designed to represent the Ukrainian flag, with Flurky even carrying a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine. While Sunny is exclusive to retail World of Warcraft, Flurky can only be found in Wrath of the Lich King: Classic.
Blizzard donated 100% of the Pet Pack for Ukraine sales, minus tax, to BlueCheck. In addition, players had the option to contribute additional funds when making any other World of Warcraft-related purchase during the promotional period.
The funds raised through this charitable collaboration will provide support to various BlueCheck partner organizations in Ukraine. These organizations include Project Victory, INSO-LVIV, Voices of Children, Save Peace in Ukraine, Starenki, Cash for Refugees, Spivdiia, TAPS Ukraine, and Move Ukraine.
Blizzard has confirmed that Sunny and Flurky will not be available for purchase in the future, but it’s possible that a similar pet may be introduced using Sunny’s model.
If you missed out on the Pet Pack for Ukraine, don’t worry. Blizzard has a long history of releasing charity pets, with at least one being released every year since 2009. These releases have raised funds for organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Red Cross, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Doctors Without Borders, and Code.org.
Stay tuned for more exciting World of Warcraft news and updates.