The gaming and entertainment sectors have also followed suit sanctioning Russia and Belarus in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the entire globe has been in an uproar, and the majority of countries appear to be siding with Ukraine, with numerous companies around the world placing sanctions on Russia, as well as those on Belarus, Russia’s closest ally.
We have already covered the Sanctions imposed by EA Sports regarding FIFA 22 and NHL 22, but it seems that was just the beginning as many companies have followed suit taking a stand against Russia In protest of the invasion.
Here are some of the biggest sanctions imposed so far:
Stonemaier Games severs connections with Russian partners and writes off payments from Ukraine:
Stonemaier Studios, the studio behind “Scythe” and other games, has issued a statement on their blog confirming that the studio “stands in solidarity with Ukraine” with its Russian localization partners.
They are calling it a “bittersweet decision” that has no bearing on the CEOs of the companies, but stating that Stonemaier “cannot provide any form of revenue for a government that invades another country.”
As a result of this decision, many in-progress print runs of the studio’s games have been halted.
Although this decision will cost them between $30,000 and $65,000 (£48,000) (R 976 841,28), they claim that “it is nothing compared to the horrors faced by the citizens of Ukraine right now.”
in addition to terminating commercial relations with Russian localization partners, Stonemaier has written off any payments owing to them by Ukrainian localization partners, citing “there are much more important things for those companies to do with those funds right now.”
They have responded to comments on social media stating:” there is a line to be drawn” when it comes to real-world events and that the studio feels “for the people of Russia who do not support Putin’s decision” and may “revisit” the decision to cut stop business with Russian localization companies in the future.
Netflix pauses future acquisitions from Russia and halts production on the Russian-language series.:
Netflix has jumped on board the sanction train by halting production on all upcoming Russian -Language series and is postponing future acquisitions from Russia, an insider has confirmed as much to the Hollywood Reporter.
Netflix currently had four Russian series in production:
Nothing Special, a drama about a young actor working for a charity for persons with disabilities; Zato, a Neo-noir detective drama; Anna K, a modern rendition of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina that would be Netflix’s first Russian original series; and a fourth untitled series.
Three of the series were wrapping up production in December already. Around the same time, Netflix was added to Russia’s “audiovisual services” sector, which requires all members — including state-owned media — to adhere to Russian government broadcaster regulations, which includes carrying 20 major Russian federal TV channels that frequently broadcast pro-Putin propaganda.
Even though Netflix has fewer than 1 million users in Russia, the streaming service has continued to focus on international and non-English content, particularly in light of recent successes such as Squid Game and Lupin. Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Disney, among others, have pulled theatrical releases in Russia in fast succession this week.
Ukraine Asks PlayStation, Xbox, And Many More To Stop Supporting Russia and Belarus:
In an open letter published via Twitter, deputy prime minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov has called on the gaming industry–specifically Xbox and PlayStation–to put more pressure on Russia in light of the recent unprovoked military action against Ukraine.
A day after the open letter was published Mykhailo Fedorov has now expanded his call for even more gaming companies to halt sales in Russia including Nintendo, Rockstar Games, Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, and Bandai Namco. Below is the original tweet.
“@EpicGames, @Nintendo, @RockstarGames, @2K, @MoontonGames, @BandaiNamcoUS, @PdxInteractive, @ATVI_AB, @Konami, @bethesda, @TencentGames, @supercell Russia showed true face. It doesn’t have any respect for the principles and humanity. Stop this by halting your games in Russia!
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 3, 2022”
He went on to say:
“The armed forces and citizens are defending Ukraine till the end! The whole world is repelling the aggressor through the imposition of sanctions–the enemy must suffer significant losses. But we need your support–in 2022, modern technology is perhaps the best answer to the tanks, multiple rocket launchers, and missiles.
I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything to protect Ukraine, Europe, and finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression – and I appeal to temporarily block all Russian and Belarusian accounts, temporarily stop the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams and gamers in all international esports events and cancel all international events holding on the territory of Russia and Belarus.”
While Microsoft and Sony have not issued an official statement in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some gaming companies and publishers have increased their humanitarian aid efforts.
CD Projekt Red Has suspended game sales in Russia and Belarus and these include GoG:
CD Projekt Red is a Polish game developer responsible for a number of major titles in the gaming industry, including Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, and it appears that they are joining global attempts to sanction Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
CD Projekt Red said in a statement:
“In light of the Russian military invasion in our neighboring country of Ukraine, until further notice, the CD Projekt Red group has made the decision to halt all sales of our games to Russia and Belarus.
Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Projekt Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus.”
The company also stated that while it recognizes that it lacks the power to directly influence events on a global scale, it hopes that by joining a growing number of entertainment companies that have blocked Russia and Belarus from accessing their content, it will be able to influence change in those countries.
Bloober Team halts sales of “Observer” in Russia and Belarus:
Bloober Team has developed such games as Observer, Blair Witch, Layers Of Fear, and the Medium, but it has now pulled its games from sale on Steam in Russia and Belarus.
The company stated that:
”This action is not meant as a retaliation against the people of these regions, but as a statement against the war.”
The company says its decision “might affect many Russian and Belarussian players who are not involved in this invasion,” it believes “every step that can help stop the war is worth taking.”
It intends to express “full solidarity with the Ukrainian people” and put “pressure on Russian and Belarussian public opinion” by pulling its games from sale in Russia.
GSC Game Worlds, the developer of Stalker 2, is located directly in the conflict zone and has paused activities in the interest of its employees’ safety, while Ubisoft has provided advance salaries and housing support to its Ukrainian staff.
Not all action has been aggressive as some companies have donated funds and helped out employees in the affected areas as a humanitarian gesture.
CD Projekt RED contributes 1 million PLN to humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine:
The developer has contributed about $242 000 to the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and has asked for further aid for Ukraine.
CD Projekt Red announced its support of Ukraine on the company’s Twitter account.
They proclaimed their support for Ukraine’s neighbor by donating one million PLN to the Polska Akcja Humanitarna group, which is presently organizing to aid Ukrainian nationals by providing food, housing, and other assistance to those who have been forced to evacuate their homes.
CD Projekt RED also appealed for more donations to help Ukraine’s rescue and assistance operations.
The official tweet stated:
“The recent invasion on Ukraine, our friends, and neighbours, left us shocked and outraged.
In solidarity with all victims of this act of aggression, the CD PROJEKT Group has decided to support humanitarian aid efforts by donating 1 million PLN to the @PAH_org (1/2)
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) February 25, 2022”
CD Projekt RED’s kind donation to Ukraine is one of the organizations attempting to assist the country in its predicament. GSC Game World, the Kyiv-based makers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., also sent a message pleading for help for Ukraine, while 11-bit studios organized to begin donating revenues from sales of its anti-war game, This War of Mine, to the Ukrainian Red Cross in the amount of about $700 000./ R 10 685 059,00.
In the realm of entertainment, Warner Bros. Interactive has postponed the release of The Batman in Russia, Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off Morbius will be delayed until further notice, Disney has halted all film releases in Russia, and Apple has halted product sales
Will all this be a big enough blow to Russia’s economy to influence Putin’s decision? Only time will tell.