Nintendo and Sony's PlayStation division have decided to stop selling their products in Russia. With this, the game developers join the group of more than 45 companies that have broken their relationship with the country, including Apple, Disney and Adidas.
A PlayStation spokesperson announced yesterday (9) that Sony has decided to suspend all shipments of console and games that would go to Russia, including Gran Turismo 7, a title just released for the platform. Additionally, the PlayStation Store (PS Store) will be unavailable in the territory. The company says:
"Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Joins Global Community Calling for Peace in Ukraine"
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Sony donates $2 million to help refugees and children
In addition to canceling shipments of goods and blocking its services, Sony donated $2 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Save the Children to "support the victims of this tragedy".
Nintendo will soon suspend shipping its products to Russia
On the same day as Sony's announcement, Nintendo said it intended to suspend all its product shipments to Russia. According to the company, the reason was due to "considerable volatility around the logistics of shipping and distributing physical goods." Additionally, the game developer said it is delaying the release of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp due "in light of recent world events".
Sony represents one of the most significant industry moves to date.
Sony has the biggest share of the console market in Russia according to industry experts. The head of gaming at research firm IDC, Lewis Ward, said in an interview with CNBC:
"PlayStation has the largest installed base, so if one company on the console side has a particularly difficult choice from a purely financial standpoint, it's Sony."
Ukraine's digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov even asked Microsoft and Sony to block all Russian and Belarusian accounts and cancel any events scheduled in the countries.
Source: CNBC
