Humble Bundle raises $50m for charity, developers gross $100m

Humble Bundle has announced that its digital distribution platform has raised more than $50m for charities, while participating developers have grossed more than $100m between Humble’s bundle and storefront promos.

In an interview with Joystiq, Humble co-founder John Graham explained how the focus on charity has been infused in the platform since its formation, aiding the company in reaching such a milestone.

"When my co-founder Jeff [Rosen] first contacted the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play for our first promotion, no one knew who we were," Graham said. "After pitching the confusing idea, in probably too much detail, he was cut off: ‘So let me get this straight, you are basically asking if you can give us money? Sure!’"

Humble has evolved from a small organization bundling indie PC, Mac and Linux titles on special occasions into a well-oiled promotion machine which now offers weekly sales, mobile game and ebook bundles, and its own Steam-like storefront as well. The store amassed $1m for charity on its own this past June, and the distributor now boasts a roster of more than 50 charitable organizations.

"Charities often are very surprised by the amount of money sent their way by our community,” Graham added. Even the larger charities like the Red Cross are amazed once the payment arrives. It has often been the case that we exceed charity expectations and they’ve had the good problem of figuring out how to scale up the work they do."

The Humble Store is currently in the midst of its Winter Sale promotion, offering flash sales and daily deals through December 23rd.