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If you were living under a rock and somehow missed it, the iconic and world-renowned Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire and was damaged considerably this week. A number of French billionaires have lined up their purses to help fund the repairs, and now Ubisoft has joined in donating to restoring the religious landmark.
The company has pledged €500,000 ($564,000, £433,000) to “help with the restoration and reconstruction” of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The company is also offering free copies of Assassin’s Creed Unity, which is set in Paris and has a meticulously recreated in-game version of the cathedral. The offer is PC-only, and available via Uplay or the Assassin’s Creed website.
While all the artwork and priceless artifacts like the Blessed Sacrament (used during church services to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ) and the Crown of Thorns (purportedly the crown worn by Jesus Christ at his crucifixion) were saved, the building’s spire and roof were destroyed, as well as most of the original woodwork. All the stained glass windows survived, though.
The burning of the cathedral happened on an iconic week for Catholics as well – it’s currently holy week, and many had probably been planning to attend service at the cathedral. A cause behind the fire is still currently not known, however the cathedral was undergoing renovations.
The in-game version of the cathedral is reportedly a 1:1 recreation of the iconic cathedral, and took a large portion of the game’s development time to ensure historical and architectural accuracy to the real building.
While France is mobilizing to begin repairs on the Notre-Dame Cathedral immediately, the historical and religious icon likely won’t be open to the public for a number of years.
Assassin’s Creed Unity is currently available for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
