World’s largest console makers halt operations in Russia

Sony Group’s gaming division, Sony Interactive Entertainment, has announced that it will halt both hardware and software shipments and sales to Russia in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The company added that the PlayStation store would no longer be accessible for Russian players and that it had also called off the Russian release of Gran Turismo 7, its most successful racing game series. 

“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,” a company spokesperson told CNBC. “To support humanitarian aid, Sony Group Corporation announced a $2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international NGO Save the Children to support the victims of this tragedy,” a company statement said.

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No new games for Russian players

A similar decision has been made by another major Japanese gaming company, Nintendo, which has announced that it will be suspending shipments of all products to Russia “for the foreseeable future … due to considerable volatility surrounding the logistics of shipping and distributing physical goods.” Last week, Nintendo put its online distribution platform, eShop, into maintenance mode in Russia, after its payment provider suspended transactions in Russian rubles.

Sony and Nintendo are but the latest in a slew of major brands and international corporations that have suspended their operations in Russia following the launch of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Other big names that have halted their business in the country include Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Universal Pictures, Spotify, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s.