Square Enix has donated $500,000 to the Ukraine relief effort

Square Enix has donated $500,000 to providing humanitarian support in Ukraine.

The money has been given to the UN refugee agency, which estimates that three million people have fled to neighbouring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Square Enix has also launched an employee fundraiser and matching gift program to benefit three charities supporting the Ukraine relief effort: the Red Cross, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders.

“We sincerely hope that peace will be restored, and that those affected by the crisis will regain peaceful life as quickly as possible,” the Japanese company said on Tuesday.

Many games companies have made significant donations to the humanitarian appeal in Ukraine including Embracer Group, 11 bit studios, Bandai Namco, CD Projekt Red, Supercell, Ubisoft, Unity and The Pokémon Company.

Indie developers from across the world have also contributed games to a large bundle designed to raise money for Ukraine. The Bundle for Ukraine is available on itch.io and contains 991 items. Players who make a minimum donation of $10 will get everything, DRM-free. It has raised over $5 million to date.

Many companies, including platform holders Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, have suspended sales of their products in Russia.

Russia is reportedly in the process of changing its piracy laws in a bid to combat widespread boycotts and sanctions placed on it by western countries.