Cyberpunk 2077 publisher CD Projekt to ‘halt all sales’ to Russia, Belarus

polygon.com:

One day after Ukraine’s deputy prime minister urged gaming companies to pull out of Russian markets, CD Projekt Group — arguably the region’s most influential game company — has taken action. On Thursday the publisher of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher series announced that it would stop selling its products in Russia and Belarus.

“In light of the Russian military invasion of our neighboring country of Ukraine,” the company said in a statement published on Twitter, “until further notice the CD Projekt Group has made the decision to halt all sales of our games to Russia and Belarus.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its second week, with thousands of civilian casualties reported and at least one million refugees streaming west into central Europe. The unprovoked assault has brought international condemnation, and a tightening of financial restrictions on Russia and its oligarchs. Major corporations like Shell, BP, and Apple have taken steps to cease operations in the region. Now game developers are doing what they can to show their support.

pic.twitter.com/C2TMk7m2KC

CD Projekt further specified that it would not only stop shipping physical stock into Russia and Belarus, but that it would stop distributing games digitally there as well. The move includes its own online platform, GOG.

“The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine,” the company said. “While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people. We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of