Niantic Halts Services Of Pokémon Go In Russia

Niantic have announced that it is suspending the services of their games like Pokémon Go in Russia and Belarus.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Niantic has announced that its games will no longer be playable in Russia or Belarus. “We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine,” Niantic wrote on Twitter, March 11. “Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will also be suspended there shortly.” This includes the company’s incredibly popular Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and its original IP Ingress.

Niantic is not alone in its action of suspending Pokémon Go in Russia. A number of other companies across the games industry have also taken action in light of the ongoing crisis. Most recently, Nintendo has announced that it would be halting all shipments to Russia for the time being. Sony has announced the same, as well pulling Gran Turismo 7 just before launch. As well as this, The Pokémon Company announced it would be making a $200,000 donation to GlobalGiving in support of Ukraine. And the wider games industry has put out a call asking for more support for Ukraine.

how can you help?

As an individual in a situation like this it can be difficult to be sure of ways you can help. But thankfully, there are a few ways to provide financial aid if you are able to. The British Red Cross has launched an appeal to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine. A campaign has been set up on Tiltify, and will go towards The British Red Cross in its efforts to provide support. There have also been some initiatives from developers to raise money for support in Ukraine. For $10, you can get almost 1000 games in the Bundle for Ukraine. It’s a charity bundle set up by a group of indie developers, with games like Celeste and Skatebird on offer. Or alternatively, you can buy a brand new Doom 2 level made by one of the original developers, John Romero.

Featured Image Credit: Pokemon Company/Niantic