(Tokyo) Japanese video game giants Sony and Nintendo have announced the suspension of shipments to Russia, joining a growing number of companies pulling out of the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Updated yesterday at 10:20 p.m.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in its call for peace in Ukraine,” the PlayStation maker said on Twitter on Wednesday.
“We have suspended all shipments of games and consoles, the launch of Gran Turismo 7 and PlayStation Store operations in Russia,” Sony added.
The group also recalled its announcement of a donation of 2 million dollars to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to the organization Save the Children to support the victims of this war.
Nintendo is also suspending shipments to Russia “for the time being,” a spokesperson for the company based in Kyoto (western Japan) told AFP on Thursday.
The spokesperson explained that this decision was due to two reasons: the fact that its online store has been unavailable in Russia since March 4 due to the suspension of ruble transactions by its payment service provider, and “ logistical disruptions.
Global companies such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, IKEA, Adidas or Chanel have announced the temporary freezing of their activities in Russia.
Microsoft, Sony’s US gaming rival, itself said last week that it was suspending “new sales” of its products and services in the country.
Other tech giants have made similar announcements, such as Apple, which has stopped selling its iPhones and tablets in Russia, while platforms like Facebook, YouTube (Google) and Twitter have blocked media posts from Russian states in Europe.