Activizion Blizzard, Epic Games Halt Sales in Russia

pcmag.com:

The list of game publishers refusing to do business in Russia is growing. Activision Blizzard and Epic Games both say they are halting sales in the country due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Activision Blizzard president Daniel Alegre said in a March 4 press release that the company would "be suspending new sales of and in our games in Russia while this conflict continues." That means Russians who have already purchased the publisher's titles won't be able to make in-game purchases, either, although it seems they'll still be able to play the games themselves.

"Throughout the past week," Algere said, "we have watched the news from Ukraine and the worsening humanitarian crisis that is unfolding. Our company’s commitment is to help those impacted by this terrifying violence and to provide assistance in every way possible."

Epic Games announced its decision to halt sales in Russia via Twitter:

Activision Blizzard and Epic Games are not alone in suspending their sales in the country. Microsoft, which is looking to acquire Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal, halted "all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia." That includes Xbox consoles, Microsoft-published games, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming service as well as the company's other wares.

Electronic Arts and CD Projekt Red have made similar announcements. Between these five companies, many of the world's most popular games can no longer be purchased in Russia, with everything from Call of Duty and Battlefield to Fortnite and Cyberpunk 2077 being affected. CD Projekt Red has also halted sales via its GOG platform in Russia and Belarus.

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