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PlayStation made tweeted that Sony Entertainment Interactive asks for peace for Ukraine and it will be putting a pause on all hardware and software sales and deliveries to Russia, including PlayStation consoles. They also say they will pause the launch of “Gran Turismo 7” as well as the operations of the PlayStation Store location in Russia.
“PlayStation has the largest installed base, so if a company on the console side has a particularly hard choice from a purely financial angle, it’s Sony,” Lewis Ward, head of gaming at research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), recently told CNBC.
The Sony company is going to be donating $2 million to the non-government international organization Save the Children and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to aid victims involved in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Companies That Originally Paused Operations to Russia
Nintendo and Sony are following the brands Starbucks, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and PepsiCo. All of which has put a pause on operations in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Sony, the parent company of PlayStation, made this decision after the parent company of Xbox, Microsoft, announced that it would be putting a pause on sharing goods and product deliveries and sales to Russia. This is one of the industry’s largest moves yet as their biggest presence is in Russia.
The digital minister in Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, has recently called on Sony and Microsoft to obstruct all Belarusian and Russian accounts and call-off planned occasions in both countries.
Nintendo’s Reason for the Pause
On Thursday, Nintendo told FOX Business that it will also put a pause on shipping products to Russia, for the time being, due to considerable volatility involving the planning of sending and dispensing physical goods.
The comment comes following the company stating in the past that the eShop for Nintendo in Russia would be put into maintenance mode temporarily following the suspension of processing payments in rubles. Nintendo also states that it will set back “Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp” due to recent events in the world. The “Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp” date of release was originally April 08, 2022.
Other Companies Putting a Pause on Sales
On top of Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony, developers of video games: Activision, Ubisoft, CD Projekt, Epic Games, Electronic Arts, and Blizzard, all state that they will also be putting a hold on sales in Russia. CD Projekt has also put a hold on operations in Belarus.
In a different posting, Bungie, which is currently being taken over by Sony, states that is it working on halting distributing and selling any “Destiny 2” games in Belarus and Russia. People who play the game in Russia and Belarus will still have the ability to play what they already have purchased or they can obtain the free version. However, all new sales are on hold for the time being. They are also putting out an in-game “Cоняшник” emblem for free for people playing to demonstrate their support to Ukraine. The emblem and the codes for it will be going out in their weekly message.
Russia and Belarus will be losing numerous companies in their country, including Sony PlayStation, due to the invasion Russia has started in Ukraine. These companies have placed a pause on sales after they have put a call out for peace. Many companies are following in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft. No one knows how many more will follow them.
Written by Marrissa Kay
Edited by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
Fox Business: Sony’s PlayStation suspending Russia software, hardware shipments; by Lucas Manfredi
CNBC: Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo suspend sales in Russia over Ukraine war; by Ryan Browne
The Verge: PlayStation is suspending all hardware and software shipments in Russia; by Jay Peters
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gareth Simpson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License