Bungie stops selling Destiny 2 in Russia, makes a free emblem for the rest of the world

In February, Destiny 2 studio Bungie promised to donate all of the proceeds raised during the first 48 hours of its Game2Give campaign to humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine. Today it detailed the results of that effort: $120,000 raised for Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee.

"Players proved once again that they’re Guardians of the world, raising $120,000, and we cannot thank each and every donor enough for their contribution," Bungie wrote. "Bungie will also continue to match our own employee donations donation to any additional U.S. based 501(c)(3) charitable organizations."

Direct Relief, Bungie's "most trusted and longest-standing humanitarian aid partner," is working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to assemble emergency response medical packs, and is also preparing for near-future problems caused by widespread population displacement. International Rescue Committee is focusing its efforts on the needs of refugees, and "calling out continued breaches of International Humanitarian Law and discriminatory treatment of individuals displaced by the war, [and] calling on the leaders of Russia to adhere to this law, especially in protection of civilians and vulnerable groups such as women and girls."

For Destiny players who want to donate to charity directly, Bungie said it has vetted three other organizations who are "doing incredible work in Ukraine and would be grateful for your support":

• Razom, a volunteer organization coordinating with multiple partner groups to purchase and distribute emergency medical supplies
• Sunflower of Peace, a US-based non-profit raising funds for medical and humanitarian aid for paramedics and doctors in regions impacted by the Russian invasion
• International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been working in Ukraine since the initial Russian invasion in 2014

Bungie also announced that it will suspend all Destiny 2 sales and business in Russia and Belarus: Gamers in those countries will continue to have access to the free game and any content they've already purchased, but will no longer be able to purchase any new content or Silver, the in-game currency. 

And, because this is Destiny 2, there's also a new emblem on the way called Cоняшник. The emblem, which according to Google translates into "Sunflower," will be available on March 10, and free for all players: A code to access the emblem will be provided in this week's TWAB.

Bungie revealed the new emblem on Twitter:

"For Cоняшник, we humbly tried to exemplify the hope and courage that has been so emblematic of the Ukrainian people during this impossible time," Bungie wrote. "Alongside Ukraine’s coat of arms, impressionistic sunflowers, Ukraine’s national flower, populate the peaceful countryside – a metaphor for hope and our way of expressing solidarity."

Bungie joins a long list of other game developers and publishers who have halted business in Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, including CD Projekt, Electronic Arts, Activision-Blizzard, Epic Games, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Microsoft.