Here’s Where the Pink Mercy Overwatch Charity Money Is Going

Earlier in 2018, Blizzard released the Overwatch Pink Mercy charity skin in collaboration with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. It was a limited-time skin to support family and friends that have been impacted by the disease. Now, Blizzard would like to detail just how that money will distributed.

The Pink Mercy money will go to three programs: BCRF Precision Prevention Initiative, BCRF Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium Award, and 25 Annual BCRF Research Grants. You can read descriptions on the role of each program, below:

• BCRF Precision Prevention Initiative:
  • Launched with support from Blizzard Entertainment, BCRF will fuel innovative prevention research to reduce the incidence of breast cancer, including creating new tools and tests for improved screenings and diagnostics. These programs will advance the understanding of inherited risk and pursue population-based genetic risk assessment to help those deemed at risk before the disease takes place.
  • The initiative will begin later this month when BCRF will convene a “think tank” of breast cancer research specialists to design this year’s Request for Proposals—grants given to select studies aimed at addressing breast cancer prevention with both short- and long-term milestones. After the process ends in March, BCRF will distribute awards over three years in research funding for clinical and laboratory studies.
• BCRF Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium Award:
  • The BCRF Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium Award, funded by the Pink Mercy donations, will help launch five new clinical trials this year.
    
    These clinical trials are conducted within a consortium comprised of 19 medical institutions and nearly 200 investigators aimed at accelerating new treatments for patients with breast cancer.
  • The Consortium uses a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to improve the understanding of breast cancer biology and to test new therapeutic strategies through clinical trials.
• 25 Annual BCRF Research Grants:
  • The Annual Research Grants Program is the core of BCRF’s mission. These awards provide scientists across the globe with funds to explore innovative ideas, to collaborate with fellow researchers, and to bring us closer to eradicating breast cancer. Your donations will fund 25 research grants, which will be distributed to studies in seven different research fields that focus on diagnosis and treatment.

Thanks to players, developers, and researchers alike, that single character skin raised $12.7 million dollars. It was the largest donation received by BCRF in collaboration with a corporate partner in a single year within BCRF’s twenty-five year history. Though, it did involve some minor controversy regarding the allocation of proceeds.

What do you think of implementing charity in today’s video games? Let us know in the comments.

[Source: Blizzard]