Nintendo has announced that it is suspending all shipments to Russia for the immediate future, amidst the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
It’s practically impossible to avoid news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It’s certainly a dark time and our hearts go out to all those impacted by the current events.
However, during dark times, humanity has a history of pulling together. And while we often see the worst in some people, it’s also easy to miss the good that people do in the world. A positive example is the video game community pulling together for a common cause.
That being said, tough choices also have to be made. In an effort to help those affected by the current events, video game publishers and developers have been pulling products as well as services from the former Soviet Union.
The industry takes a stand
Electronic Arts has removed Russian teams from its games, Sony has stopped selling PlayStation consoles and the likes of The Pokemon Company has donated large sums of money. While studios situated in Ukraine such as GSC Game World has halted the development of Stalker 2.
However, Japanese giant Nintendo is the latest company to pull its services from Russia. As reported by Aljazeera, Nintendo has made the decision due to the “volatility surrounding the logistics of shipping and distributing physical goods.”
Furthermore, this also follows the decision by Nintendo to suspend all eShop payments, as well as Microsoft suspending all new sales in Russia.
If you want to help those affected by these events, information can be found via the links below:
- Red Cross
- SOS Ukraina – “Providing humanitarian assistance including food and other forms of support to people who have to leave their homes.”
- Save the Children – “Our Ukraine crisis response aims to reach 3.5 million vulnerable children and their families.”
- Voices of Children – “Charitable foundation Voices of Children helps children affected by the war in eastern Ukraine.”
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo