Activision Blizzard staff have donated $1.6 million to 3,211 charities

Each organisation received an average of just under $500.

Staff at publishing giant Activision Blizzard have donated $1.6 billion to a number of charity organisations.

In a news post on its website, the company said that it had given each of the 8,013 members of staff that work across Activision Blizzard, Activision, Blizzard and King $200 each to donate to a charity of their choosing. The result was 3,211 organisations receiving donations. On average, each charity will have received around $498.

Organisations benefitting from these donations include Gamers Outreach - which supports kids in hospital - and the LGBTQ-focused suicide hotline The Trevor Project, as well as Save the Children, which sort of does what it says on the tin.

“At Activision Blizzard, we recognize our responsibility to give back to the communities where we operate," CEO Robert Kotick and president and COO Daniel Alegre said in a statement.

"From developing pathways for veterans' employment to fighting racial inequality to supporting pivotal healthcare programs, we are committed to making a difference. We believe that we can truly connect and engage the world in ways that no other company can, with purpose and meaning. We continue to be grateful for so many of you who share our commitment to change the world in lasting ways.

"We want to honor the past year of giving with one more philanthropic endeavor for this unique year when people are in need more than ever: we are contributing company funds as well as reallocating funds that were earmarked for year-end company events towards an Activision Blizzard Holiday Giving Initiative.”