In the wake of the tragic fire that caused extensive damage to the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral earlier this week, Ubisoft is stepping forward to lend financial aid to the restoration efforts for the iconic Parisian landmark.
The Paris-based studio announced in a statement today that it will be donating €500,000 (about $565,000 US) to the reconstruction and restoration of the Cathedral. Ubisoft’s donation will add to the more than $700 million that has already been pledged by sympathetic donors across the globe following French President Emmanuel Macron’s impassioned plea to the international community to unite in the efforts to restore the historically significant medieval cathedral.
Although primarily known within the MMO industry as the developer of The Division and its sequel, Ubisoft is perhaps best known as the developer of the popular stealth-action Assassin’s Creed series, which is of particular relevance due to the inclusion of a faithful recreation of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity. Because of this, the studio is giving away free copies of the game “to give everyone the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of Notre-Dame.”
“Video games can enable us to explore places in ways we never could have otherwise imagined,” the studio’s statement reads. “We hope, with this small gesture, we can provide everyone an opportunity to appreciate our virtual homage to this monumental piece of architecture.”
