Sony has suspended all sales in Russia including hardware and new PlayStation 5 releases such as Gran Turismo 7. The company also plans to cease PlayStation Store operations as it calls for worldwide peace.
The PlayStation makers are joining Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard as some of the entities pulling out of the region amid the Ukrainian conflict.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,” Sony said. “We have suspended all software and hardware shipments, the launch of Gran Turismo 7, and operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia.”
Ahead of their March 9 State of Play, Sony revealed they would no longer facilitate new PlayStation products to the Russian state both digitally and physically.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 9, 2022
Additionally, the company will contribute to a humanitarian fund to aid victims as the conflict in the region has impacted thousands of civilians.
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“To support humanitarian aid, Sony Group Corporation announced a $2 million (USD) donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the international NGO, Save the Children, to support the victims of this tragedy,” they said.
This comes a week after Sony launched its PlayStation staple franchise, Gran Turismo 7, and just before the release Grand Theft Auto 5’s next-gen update and exclusive software like Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Other games industry giants have taken similar action against the state of Russia. EA previously removed Russian clubs and the Russian national team from FIFA 22 and NHL 22.
Meanwhile, sales for major titles like Overwatch, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and more were recently pulled from the region as Activision reacted to the Ukraine conflict.