Sony has pledged $100 million in an emergency fund to help with the current coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, as announced earlier today in a press release (thanks, GamesRadar).

“Through this fund, Sony will provide support in three areas: assistance for those individuals engaged in frontline medical and first responder efforts to fight the virus, support for children and educators who must now work remotely, and support for members of the creative community in the entertainment industry, which has been greatly impacted by the spread of the virus.”

Sony isn’t leaving out its employees either. The tech giant has also set up a “matching gift program” for its workers who wish to add their support at this time. Sony has also promised that the company will continue to work with “partners and stakeholders” to “explore ways to further extend these initiatives.”

“Sony extends its condolences to the families of those who have passed away as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and extends its sympathies to all those who have been impacted,” Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, is quoted as saying in the press release. “In order to overcome the unprecedented challenges that as a society we now face around the world, we will do all we can as a global company to support the individuals on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19, the children who are our future, and those who have been impacted in the creative community.”

And Sony isn’t the only company to take this initiative. With the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic taking its toll across the globe, many in the game industry are pitching in to help towards the relief effort. CD Projekt Red has also donated $1 million and companies such as Rockstar and Paradox Interactive are also doing their bit to help out.

And while we thought for a while that the next-gen consoles might be delayed because of the global pandemic, it seems that the PlayStation 5 at least is still set for release later this year as planned.

If you want to get involved with helping, you can always get involved with the [email protected] project and lend your PC’s power to the initiative. Alternatively, if you want to be a little more hands-on, Foldit is a game you can download for free – essentially, you’ll be “folding” virtual proteins into new shapes which scientists can then replicate in a lab. Pretty neat, right?