Amid Serious Australian Drought, Farming Sim Dev Steps Up With A Big Donation

Farmers in Australia are suffering through an extended drought, and the developers of the Farming Simulator franchise are stepping up to make a significant donation to the relief efforts.

The game's distribution partners around the world, including Five Star Games and Focus Home Interactive, as well as developer Giants Software, have combined forces to donate $50,000 to the charity Drought Angels to support the relief campaign.

The money will go towards giving practical assistance to farmers and the communities surrounding them.

"Sadly unlike in our game the effects of the drought are real," Giants Software marketing boss Martin Rabl said in statement. "Working with Drought Angels allows us to give something back to the Aussie farming community for which we have the deepest respect."

Relief campaigns like this are incredibly important, especially because there is no end in sight for the drought. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology released its climate outlook report for November to January this week, and it predicts a hotter-than-average summer for much of the country, along with lower-than-average rainfall.

"Farmers would have preferred to see an above average rainfall forecast, and we wish we could have provided one too," bureau manager of long-term forecasts Dr. Andrew Watkins said (via The Guardian). "Unfortunately what the farmers need is several months of above average rainfall to catch up. Usually about three months at least. It will take a while to get out of the drought."

Farming Simulator 19 launches on November 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.