The Japanese video game giants, sony and nintendo confirmed this Thursday the suspension of their shipments of games and consoles to Russia, as well as the paralysis of the services of their “online” stores in the country, after their invasion of Ukraine.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine. We have suspended all of our software and hardware shipments, the release of ‘Gran Turismo 7’, and PlayStation Store operations in Russia,” the company announced. the company’s video game division on its profile on the social network Twitter.
For its part, a Nintendo spokesman confirmed that while “stocks currently in storage will be sold, exports will be suspended.”
The company, which has been paralyzing its sales through its online store (Nintendo eShop) for days due to the impossibility of processing payments in rubles, has made the decision on shipments “due to this situation that makes logistics difficult.”
The firm also announced hours before the delay to an unspecified date of the “Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp” compilation, “due to the recent international situation,” it said on its social networks, in an apparent veiled reference to the invasion Russian, which you have not explicitly mentioned at any time.
The compilation of warmongering-themed tactical games was scheduled to hit stores on April 8.
Nintendo Switch OLED will no longer be sold in Russia. Photo nintendo
Sony and Nintendo are the latest in a series of companies that suspended their exports and sales or paralyzed their production in Russia in the midst of the war and the implementation of sanctions on Moscow by the international community, which has led to decisions similar to others companies in the leisure sector.
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This is the case of Xbox, EA, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Take-Two which, in some cases, extended the measure to Belarus.
Although it did not stop sales in Russia, EA Sports announced that it would remove all Russian clubs from its soccer video game FIFA 22 and ice hockey NHL 22.
Meanwhile, the game Escape From Tarkov crashed because its main currency is pegged to the real-world Russian ruble, whose value plummeted due to international sanctions.
Among other Japanese companies that altered or interrupted their activity in Russia as a result of the conflict are also the technological company Panasonic, the construction machinery companies Komatsu and Hitachi Construction Machinery, or the automotive companies Toyota, Nissan or Yamaha.
Ubisoft recently shared that it will provide alternative housing and early paychecks for its employees in Ukraine, while Kyiv-based studio GSC Game World announced that development on Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl has been “shifted to the sidelines.” and it will be taken up “after the victory”.
To support those caught up in the conflict in Ukraine, several major studios around the world have chosen to donate to charities that provide aid in the region. 11 Bit Studios announced that it raised $683,000 from sales of This War Of Mine during the last week, which will be sent to the Red Cross in Ukraine.
Similarly, the co-creator of Doom, John Romerorecently created a new Doom 2 level to raise money for the Red Cross and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
Another large donation came from the creator of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red, who donated approximately $275,000 to Polska Akcja Humanitarna, a Polish-based humanitarian organization.