Last year, Czech Republic-based developer Bohemia Interactive released the Laws of War DLC for Arma 3, the highest-rated Arma 3-product on Steam today.
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At the time, Bohemia Interactive announced that half of the net revenue from direct sales of the DLC in 2017 would be donated to the Red Cross, a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education in the United States.
Fast-forward to today, and Bohemia Interactive announced that it raised a grand total of $176,667 via sales to donate to the organization. Interestingly, this means the developer earned over $340,000 on the DLC in 2017 alone.
Bohemia Interactive writes the following about the donation:
“With this donation, aid workers will be able to provide assistance to those affected by violence and armed conflict. It will help save and improve the lives of people who need it most. We salute you for your contribution!”
For those that don’t know: Laws of War explores the different perspective on the battlefield by introducing a fictional humanitarian NGO faction called IDAP (International Development & Aid Project). Further, it adds a “Remnants of War” mini-campaign, where players get to experience the long-term consequences of war firsthand, with a particular focus on the effects of mines and unexploded ordnance.
Bohemia Interactive continues:
“When we first announced Laws of War DLC, we were aware that it could come as a surprise. In fact, it even took us some time before we arrived at this particular subject. Initially, our aim with the “Orange” project was to focus on non-combat gameplay in Arma 3. After we also considered the project’s relatively modest scope, we then quite soon narrowed the selection to either war correspondents OR humanitarian aid workers as a central theme for the package. At the same time, we also felt very much inspired by the conversations we’d been having with Christian Rouffaer from the ICRC – specifically about how we could integrate core principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) into our games. And at some point in development, all of the puzzle pieces fell into place, and Arma 3 Laws of War DLC was born.
“Of course, it’s important to note that this DLC only scratches the surface of a very serious, and very complex, subject. If there’s one thing that’s become clear, it’s that in war there’s no clear black and white of anything. It’s really more grey and grey. On the one hand, we strongly believe that, even during conflict, we should all make great efforts to hold onto our humanity – while on the other hand we also acknowledge that armed forces sometimes face impossible dilemmas in life-or-death situations.
“Whatever your viewpoint on all of this is, we hope the DLC offers a balanced introduction to the topic, gives you something to think about, and perhaps even stimulates you to discuss IHL further. Beyond that, it’s just incredible that we were also able to seize this opportunity and make a direct real-world difference by raising money for a good cause.
“So, on behalf of everyone involved: thanks again for your splendid contribution! If you wish to support the ICRC further, and/or want to learn more about their activities, we very much encourage you to check out their website here. Your help is greatly appreciated!”
Arma 3 is available on PC and Mac for $39.99 USD. Meanwhile, its Laws of War DLC runs at $11.99 USD.
