Nintendo's controversial Russian CEO no longer an official employee
Nintendo no longer employs the company's former boss of Russian operations Yasha Haddaji, Eurogamer can reveal.
Haddaji's final day as a Nintendo staff member was yesterday, 31st May. The news comes a month after it was reported that Haddaji had imported copies of Metroid Prime Remastered into Russia via a side company, skirting Nintendo's own official sales ban.
«Mr Haddaji's contract with Nintendo ended on 31st May,» a Nintendo of Europe spokesperson confirmed to Eurogamer after being asked for comment.
However, Nintendo will still work with Haddaji via that same side business, Achivka, which will now act as Nintendo's provider of customer support in the country.
Last month, Eurogamer published a report on the current state of Nintendo's operations in Russia. Nintendo officially halted product shipments to the country in March 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, Nintendo denied being affiliated with Achivka and said it had «no involvement in parallel import activities in Russia», despite the fact that Achivka is owned by Haddaji, then a Nintendo employee, and has its official business address listed as the same as Nintendo's own Russian headquarters. It is also part-owned by another Nintendo Russia employee — corporate events manager Ksenia Kachalova.
Nintendo previously told Eurogamer it was active in Russia only to continue «legal, contractual and administrative requirements», and that the majority of Moscow-based employees had been terminated «by mutual agreement». But a few, including Haddaji, had remained on the company's books.
When questioned specifically about Haddaji's employment, Nintendo confirmed to Eurogamer that he was still a Nintendo staff member despite his activities with
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