Activision Blizzard creates CODE, war veteran support organization

Activision Blizzard is creating an organization dedicated to raising awareness on unemployment amongst war veterans. The non-profit foundation, called Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), will focus on raising funds and assisting organizations dedicated to job placement and training for war veterans.

Activision Blizzard’s CEO, Robert Kotick, decided to invite veterans from different branches of the military to form the advisory board for CODE. They will be in charge of raising awareness for veterans’ causes and deciding which organizations receive grants from CODE.

The announcement was timed with the release of Activision Blizzard’s latest blockbuster title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The title was developed by Infinity Ward and its past iterations have proven to be one of the most successful franchises for Activision Blizzard. Realizing it is also a very popular game amongst the troops, Activision Blizzard decided to use the money from the sales of Modern Warfare 2 to fund the Call of Duty Endowment organization.

The company also donates games to the troops on a regular basis through the United Service Organizations (USO) and this time Activision Blizzard will also donate $1 million to set up CODE.

This is a great example of how video game companies can contribute to a good cause. By working together with different organizations, developers and publishers can create awareness of issues highlighted in games and also support causes related to them.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is currently available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC and is rated “Mature” by the ESRB for blood, drug reference, intense violence and language

Site [Call of Duty Endowment ] Read [CNNMoney] Also read [Washington Post]