As Russia's war of aggression wages against Ukraine, companies from all over the Western world have been joining in to isolate Russia. The games industry isn't being left out here, with major companies announcing they are joining the likes of Visa, Mastercard, and more in boycotting Russia.
Activision Blizzard announced on March 4th that it was suspending sales of games, as well as microtransactions inside of Russia so long as the conflict continues. Additionally, the company has pledged to match employee donations to support to Ukrainian people 2:1, stating that they have raised over 300K USD towards this effort thus far.
Microsoft announced as well over the weekend that it too would be suspending its sales in Russia, citing the need to work in accordance with government sanctions against the country. Microsoft also is pledging to work with Ukraine to beef up its cyber security efforts to better protect against Russian cyber attacks.
Electronic Arts is also suspending game sales, as well as microtransaction sales both within Russia and its ally, Belarus, and is actively working to remove their games from marketplaces within the region.
The games industry has been galvanized to support Ukraine, much like the rest of the Western world. Wargaming, known for its World of Tanks series, has donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross in an effort to support their team members in Kyiv, while Polish gaming giant CD Projekt Red has halted game sales both digitally and physically in Russia and Belarus. Meanwhile, VR MMO developer RamenVR is donating the first 100K USD in profits from sales last week to Ukraine in an effort to help.
