Electronic Arts has declared that the Russian national team, as well as all other Russian teams, will be removed from FIFA 22 and related titles.
This announcement is in response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the sanctions imposed on numerous Russian industries.
For starters, the Russian and Belarusian national clubs will be removed from Electronic Arts’ FIFA 22 and NHL 22.
The International Ice Hockey Federation, FIFA, and the Union of European Football Associations all imposed sanctions on Russia earlier this week, beginning with UEFA’s decision to move the Champions League final from St. Petersburg.
Then, on Monday, FIFA, under intense pressure from the Polish soccer federation, barred Russia from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee, which just two weeks ago declared the 2022 Olympic Winter Games closed, called on all international sports federations to expel Russian athletes and teams from international competition.
Ukraine has encouraged the video game industry to do more after these events occurred. Mykhailo Fedorov, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, has urged all game developers and esports platforms to disable Russian and Belarusian accounts, suspend competitions, and ban participants.
In regards to all this EA Tweeted:
“Electronic Arts tweeted: “EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine.
In line with our partners at FIFA [the International Federation of Association Football] and UEFA [the Union of European Football Associations], EA Sports has initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products including FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile and FIFA online. We’re also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games.”
Given the number of movie releases, concerts, and sporting events that have been canceled in Russia, it was only a matter of time until the gaming industry joined in.
How far will the gaming industry go to express support for Ukraine, and will this be enough for Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, who originally advocated for these sanctions to be imposed on the gaming community? Only time will tell, but you can bet that many Russians will be affected by the fact that they won’t be allowed to play their favorite games or play as their own country.