Following the tragic burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral spire in Paris, Ubisoft – the developers behind the historically driven Assassin’s Creed series – has responded charitably.

For the next week (until April 25), PC users will be able to download Assassin’s Creed Unity for free. This entry into the franchise lets players explore late 18th-century Paris during the French revolution, including a recreation of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

“Ubisoft wants to give all gamers the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of the cathedral”, the publisher’s statement reads. “You can download Assassin’s Creed Unity on PC for free here , and you’ll own it forever in your Uplay games library.”

In a 2014 interview with Geek Ireland , level designer Caroline Miousse said that the in-game interior and exterior of Notre Dame took 14 months of production “and it took three weeks to dress its interior in accordance to the Revolution era”. The result is a fully explorable 90% scale model of the real deal.

Assassin's Creed Unity's depiction of the Notre Dame cathedral [Image credit: Ubisoft] (Image credit: Ubisoft)

On top of the free video game offer, Ubisoft is joining in the efforts to restore the iconic Paris landmark by pledging €500,000. The developer also encourages “all who want to help with the restoration and reconstruction of the Cathedral to join Ubisoft in donating”.