The World Health Organization is partnering with a plethora of gaming companies to promote a new campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19. The “#PlayApartTogether” initiative “activates positivity and community that can help us commit to the urgent task at hand,” as explained by Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga.

World Health Organization Teams With Gaming Companies To Combat COVID-19David McNew / Getty Images

Activision Blizzard, Kabam, Snap Games, Amazon Appstore, Maysalward, Twitch, Big Fish Games, Playtika, Unity, Dirtybit, Pocket Gems, Wooga, Glu Mobile, Riot Games, YouTube Gaming, Jam City, SciPlay, and Zynga have all promoted the initiative on social media.

“It’s never been more critical to ensure people stay safely connected to one another. Games are the perfect platform because they connect people through the lens of joy, purpose and meaning. We are proud to participate in such a worthwhile and necessary initiative,” says Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision.

Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent says, “Physical distancing shouldn’t mean social isolation! Let’s stay physically apart – and take other public health steps such as hand hygiene – to help flatten the curve and #PlayApartTogether to help power through this crisis. For Rioters, playing games is more than just a game; it’s a meaningful life pursuit. And now, for the billions of players around the world, playing games could help the pursuit of saving lives. Let’s beat this COVID-19 boss battle together.”

As of Sunday, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have reached 718,656 worldwide, and the death toll sits at 33,891.

[Via]