Epic Games claims to have raised over $50m (£37m) to help with humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Publisher Fortnite announced on March 21 that it will defer all revenue from in-game sales, including in-game cosmetic items and virtual currency, purchased in-store or online until April 3.

And Xbox is listing the price it would normally charge for items purchased by Fortnite players.

What has been collected so far is more than what some countries have given.

A statement on Fortnite’s website said funds would be sent “as soon as possible”.

“We are not waiting for actual funds to arrive from our platform and payment partners, which may take some time depending on how the transaction is processed. As transactions are reported, we will register the funds and send them to charities in a few days.”

Epic sends money to Unicef, Direct Relief, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the United Nations World Food Program.

The epic fundraiser goes hand-in-hand with other efforts by gaming companies and their fans to raise money for victims of war in Ukraine.

Humble Bundle, for example, sells collections of video games online, with profits generally benefitting both developers and charities.

But in his latest bid, Humble raised over £10million for Ukrainian charities alone. It now has a bundle of 120 games and items worth over £1,800 which it is now offering for a minimum subscription of £30.52.

Kamini Tiwari, vice president of social influence at Humble, praised the players who put their money into getting the games. “We’re thrilled that our community continues to support us,” he said. “I think they recognize as much as we do that the need is so great.

“We’re always saddened by our community’s forgiveness. Throughout the year, and especially during crises and disasters, it’s been good to see so many others in the gaming industry pulling through.”

Chucklefish Games, creators of WarGroove and Starbound, is one of the London-based independent developers offering their bespoke games.

Alexis Trust, the company’s communications manager, said she felt it was “her duty to help those in need”.

He said the company’s partners, Lithuania-based Hidden Layer Games, which developed the Inmost game, are a “two-team team from Ukraine and Russia.”

“During the project, the team found it difficult to personally work across borders at a time of political tension, so they made the difficult decision to move together to Lithuania where their dream project could be realized.

“When the Russian army invaded Ukraine, we felt compelled to extend this help to other families of all abilities.”