Activision Blizzard, Epic Games and More Halt Sales in Russia
More gaming companies are freezing their operations in Russia amidst the on-going Russian invasion of Ukraine. Aside from EA and CD Projekt Red halting their sales in Russia, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, and Microsoft are standing in solidarity with Ukraine.
Image Courtesy of Jae C. Hong via AP Photo
Activision Blizzard expresses support for Ukraine.
Activision Blizzard issued a statement of support for Ukraine on their website last March 4th. Company president Daniel Alegre declared that the company is “suspending new sales of and in our games in Russia while this conflict continues.” This means that even in-game purchases will be unavailable in Russia for the time being.
In the same statement, Alegre also announced that the company is actively supporting organizations focused on giving aid to Ukraine. They also set up an “Employee Assistance Program” to assist those in need of emotional support during the on-going crisis.
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Microsoft stops services in Russia as Ukraine rallies for support from gaming and tech companies.
Microsoft also announced a statement of support for Ukraine the same day as Activision Blizzard. President & Vice Chair Brad Smith denounced Russia’s invasion and spoke about it as “unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful.” Aside from halting Xbox and software sales, the company is also banning services of their products including Windows and Microsoft Office.
Microsoft highlighted that their most valuable contribution for Ukraine is ensuring the country’s cybersecurity is intact. This comes after recent cyberattacks target both government and civilian-owned websites based in Ukraine. Smith ended the statement emphasizing that they “stand with Ukraine in calling for the restoration of peace, respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and the protection of its people.”
Epic Games is the latest gaming company freezing its sales in Russia.
Epic Games announced in a tweet last March 6th that they are also “stopping commerce with Russia.”
Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine. We’re not blocking access for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) March 5, 2022
The company did not make it clear whether the freeze refers to making both games and in-game purchases unavailable, or if it only refers to the games. But Epic Games also clarified that they will not be blocking online features of their games in Russia, stating that “the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.”
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Katherine Felix
Kath is just a small-time gamer with dreams of getting a simulator game that's like Sims 4, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing all rolled into one. In their spare time, Kath hosts streams with friends while playing online multiplayer games like Valorant and Call of Duty. There isn't any type of game Kath shies away from... except if it's a horror game. Make Kath choose between eating a ghost pepper or playing Outlast and they'll endure the pain that comes with eating a ghost pepper. At the moment, Kath is getting lost in the world of Teyvat with Raiden Shogun, Zhongli, and Venti on their current team. Instead of going for the meta, Kath's main goal in Genshin Impact is to have all the Archons on her roster. Ask Kath what Genshin Impact is and prepare yourself for a very lengthy and detailed conversation about the open-world RPG. Aside from gaming, Kath also likes to dabble in playing music and some creative writing. With all of these hobbies and interests, it's a surprise Kath still gets bored from time to time.
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