Sony is joining a chorus of fellow video game companies and will halt sales of PlayStation software and hardware in Russia as the war in Ukraine continues.
The company said it is suspending shipments of new hardware and boxed game products and suspending operations for the PlayStation Store in the country, as well as canceling the launch of its upcoming racing game Gran Turismo 7. Sony is donating $2 million to humanitarian efforts to support Ukraine. The news was first reported on Wednesday by Axios.
A number of the industry's largest video game publishers — including Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic, Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft — have already announced a suspension of sales of physical and digital games and in-game content in Russia.
Microsoft was the first of the console-makers to say it would also be halting software sales, as well as suspending sales of Xbox consoles and other hardware in Russia, as part of a broader shutdown of its entire Azure, Windows and Office businesses in the country. Nintendo has also halted eShop purchases in Russia, and on Wednesday the company said it would delay the release of a remake of the Advance Wars series of tank combat games, citing "recent world events."
The game industry's protest of Russia is in conjunction with similar responses from large swaths of the tech industry. Many software and platform companies have either suspended operations in Russia or, like Meta and Twitter, faced bans by the Russian government.
A number of social media platforms have straddled a line by banning Russian news outlets — or, like TikTok, any and all uploads from Russian users — in an effort to cut down on misinformation and propaganda, while remaining operational in the country to support Ukrainian activists and journalists. As it stands, YouTube and Telegram are currently still running in the country without widespread disruption.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE