Sony officially suspends PlayStation game and hardware sales in Russia
Sony and Microsoft have now both suspended operaš¼tions in the region

Update, March 10: Destiny 2 developer Bungie hasš now added its name to the growing list of game companies sanctioning Russia in the wake of its attack on Ukraine.
All Destiny 2 sales will be suspended in Russia and Belarus, Bungie said. The studio is also releasing a free in-game emblem to raise awareness and show support for Ukraine. Bungie says the emź§blem redemption code will be released in its next weekly blog post.
Bungie stands with the people of Ukršŗaine and everyone impacted by the ongoing war.Startš«ing today, we will be working with our partners to suspend all Destiny 2 sales and commerce in Russia and Belarus.//t.co/zS9slidhH0 pic.twitter.com/N2M8H5NYZu
Update, March 9: 澳擲幸čæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„询:Sony Interactive Entertainment has now formally suspended all software and hardware sales inź§ Russia, includinź¦ g PlayStation Store operations.
In a statement, the company affirmed it "joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine." A weeš«k ago, Sony a $2 million donaš °tion to be split between the and .
Sony's statement also confirms that the launch of 澳擲幸čæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„询:Gran Turismo 7, which was quietly pulled from the Russian PlayStatiļæ½ź¦ļæ½on Store earlier this month, has been halted in the region.
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Update, March 7: Ubisoft and Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive are the latest major publishers to halt sales in Russia over the ongoing conšflict with Ukraine.
In a statement (via ), spokesperson Alan Lewis said that Take-Two had "watched recent events unfold in Ukraine with concernš and āsadness. After significant consideration, last week, we decided to stop new sales, installations, and marketing support across all our labels in Russia and Belarus at this time."
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Take-Two's approach differs from some of the other publishers', in that it appears to limit the access that those who own its games in the region will have, suggesting that players won't be able to install games iāf they're currently not loaded onto their systšems.
Earlier today, Nintendo Russš °ia confirmed thaā t the region's eShop had been placed into 'maintenance mode' due to issues with processing payments. Elsewhere, Ubisoft updated itš„s to say that "in light of the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, we have decided to suspend our sales in Russia."
Original story:
澳擲幸čæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„询:Epic Games, Activision, and EA have all joined 澳擲幸čæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„询:Microsoft in pulling their services from Russia.
In a from its Newsroom account, Epic said that it was "stopping commerce with Russia in our games" as a direct result of the conflict. It also clarified that it would not block access to games for those who alāØready own them "for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open."
Epic'š s move is the latest in a series of similar moves from Microsoftš¬, Activision Blizzard, and EA.
In a shared with the public on March 5, Activision Blizzard president anź¦d COO Daniel Alegre said that the company "will be suspending new sales of and in our games in Russia while this conflict continues." Alegre says that the company is also matching employee donations "2:1 to organizations providing immediate relief in the region."
Activision Blizzard's decision to halt purchases "of and in" its games seems particularly significant given its apparent focus on microtransactions and potentially even subscription fees. Several of its games - including Call of Duty: Warzone and World of Warcraft - owe their continued development toš¼ ongoing payment models rather than one-off purchases.
In its on Friday, EA pledged to "stop sales of our games and content, inšcluding virtual currency bundles, in Russia and Belarus."
EA focuses specifically on the sale of its games and bundles rather than existing purchases, and the publisher confirmed in an email to GamesRadar that it is "not shutting down access to local services at this time, meaning players who have already purchased a title in the region will still be able to access their game." However, EA says it is also "working with our platform partners to remove our titles fršom tš°heir stores and stop the sale of new in-game content in the region."
EA reiterated that it is "actively evaluating other areas of our games and operations"൩ amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. The publisher pulled Russian teams from several EA Sports properties just two days ago.
Microsoft was the ź§first major publisher to make a significant step towašŗrds limiting sales of its products in Russia. In a blog post on March 4, company president Brad Smith announced that the company would "suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and service in Russia" in direct response to "this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia."
The move came just two days after Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov 澳擲幸čæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„询:called on PlayStation and Xbox to temporarily ban all Russian accounts.
More and more gaming companies and developers are beginning to act on the war in Ukraine. Earlier today, PlayStation seemingly pulled Gran Turismo 7 from Russian stores, though Sony has yet to comment on the situation directly. Yesterday, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt suspended all digital and merch sales in Russia and Belarus.
What it's like for Ukrainian game developers working and living in the shadow of war.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRašdar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's keptź§ the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.