Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it will be ceasing sales of software and hardware shipments to Russia.
As a result of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Sony has released a statement saying it will not be shipping hardware or software to Russia.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,“ reads the statement. “We have suspended all software and hardware shipments, the launch of Gran Turismo 7, and operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia.” PlayStation had already quietly pulled Gran Turismo 7 from sale in Russia, but had not released a statement up until now.
As well as stopping sales in Russia, Sony also announced it would be making a donation to two organisations. “To support humanitarian aid, Sony Group Corporation announced a US$2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international NGO, Save the Children, to support victims of this tragedy.“
how have other companies responded?
Sony follows a number of other game companies that have released statements and made donations regarding the war in Ukraine. The Pokemon Company announced it would be making a £151,811 ($200,000) donation to GlobalGiving in support of Ukraine.
A number of Ukrainian developers have also called for support for the country, and an itch charity bundle has been set up that contains almost 1000 games all for just over £7 ($10). The bundle includes games like pixel platformer Celeste, skateboarding game Skatebird, and the time only moves when you do game Superhot.
Sony has taken its time with issuing an official response regarding the invasion of Ukraine. Last week, the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov released a statement directed at the wider games industry asking to stop sales in Russia. But he specifically tagged both PlayStation and Xbox on Twitter in the statement. Xbox has also stopped sales in Russia, while Nintendo has not directly referenced the invasion. But it did announce that Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was being delayed due to “recent world events.”
Featured Image Credit: Sony