The war in Ukraine is prompting many companies to cease or suspend operations in Russia in response to the invasion. Joining the slew of companies that already includes massive corporations like McDonald's, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola, video game giant Sony has announced the suspension of all PlayStation sales in Russia for the foreseeable future.

Many video game and tech companies have been suspending operations in Russia in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine, such as Nvidia, Ubisoft, and EA recently. Companies like CD Projekt Red, Bungie, and more have also been providing aid to Ukraine in massive donations to causes supporting refugees and all victims of this war.

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Sony has announced via a statement that it has suspended all PlayStation sales in Russia. This comes along with the suspension of the PlayStation Store in the country. The company says in a quote, “Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine." Adding to its support, Sony has also announced a $2 million donation to the UNHCR, Save The Children, and the international NGO to help support the victims of the war.

playstation store suspended in russia

Sony joins many companies in suspending their operations in Russia, and it isn't going to be the last. With Sony having a sizable player base in Russia, this was a big decision for the company. The issues around the production of the PS5 due to the pandemic has been a big impact on its sales in the past year, and it's likely that suspending sales in Russia will also be detrimental to the company's bottom line.

Having this suspension of all PlayStation software and hardware sales in Russia is a very big deal. In joining other video game companies like Ubisoft, Sony's decision has been one of the most significant in all the latest suspensions of operations in Russia. Companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald's have been delayed in their response to the war in Ukraine and Sony isn't much different, but it's understandable that it takes time for big companies to work out how they will respond, especially with significant suspensions such as this.

All of these responses from gaming companies big and small are hopefully going to combine with government sanctions to have an impact on Russian economy and ultimately help to end the war.

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Source: CNBC