Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have once again issued statements condemning the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine and have announced that esports teams from Russia and Belarus would no longer be allowed to compete in international tournaments such as Apex Legends Global Series, FIFA 22 Global Series, and Rainbow Six Siege.
— Electronic Arts (@EA) March 16, 2022
Ubisoft, however, has added that Russian players will still be able to participate in regional and international tournaments, but will be required to compete under a neutral banner.
— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) March 16, 2022
Earlier this month, EA also stopped selling Russian-themed items in FIFA’s Ultimate Team game mode, including Russian clubs, players, stadium items, and managers.
The move comes as both EA and Ubisoft, along with a long list of major game companies, have announced they would stop selling their games in Russia in Belarus in protest of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine.
However, the public response to these actions has been mixed, with many players left wondering how boycotting everything related to Russia, and excluding players based on their country of origin will serve to resolve the situation in Ukraine.