Microsoft to donate proceeds from Halo: Reach avatars and headsets to charity.
You can get an avatar modification of just about any type you’d like for your Xbox Live account – when I get a spare second I’ve got to modify my avatar with some sweet Muppets gear – but if you’re keen on Halo (and most folks are) and you buy a Halo avatar or the Halo wireless headset for Xbox 360 before October 31, you’ll also be making a contribution to charity.
As part of the pre-launch celebrations for Halo: Reach, which saw Buzz Aldrin give a speech last night at the University Of Technology, Sydney, it was announced that 100 per cent of Avatar sales and $5 from every headset would be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation – a minimum of $30,000.
The idea for the donation scheme came from an external source to Microsoft. Managing director for Xbox Australia David McLean is quoted in the release stating that:
“The inspiration for this campaign actually came from a marketing student at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brendan Graham, who posted it online as part of a marketing competition.
Our team saw this and spoke to Brendan directly to ask if he could help us make it happen. We contacted Make-A-Wish with the idea and away we went. It’s very exciting for Xbox to see the idea take shape and become a reality.”
I’m not as keen on Halo as many people are, but that’s an excellent initiative that I can only applaud Microsoft for.