CD Projekt Red, GOG, EA Games, and Microsoft Xbox suspend sales to Russia and Belarus

Days prior to the support of economic sanctions against Russia and Belarus, CD Projekt Red had committed donating to Ukraine. The company donated 1 million PLN (around US$220,000) to Polska Akcja Humanitarna (PAH), the Poland-based humanitarian institution that is one of the most active currently on the ground amidst the conflict.

Furthermore, GOG is teaming up with game developers to provide the profits from games such as Darkwood, Mousecraft, Slipways, and The War of Mine as donations to Ukraine.

Electronic Arts Another major gaming company, EA Games, has declared its position in denouncing the Russian invasion.

In a statement that can be found at Electronic Arts' website, the company outlines its shock at the conflict and its support for Ukraine. Moreover, EA Games has stopped all new sales and content in Russia and Belarus: We have made the decision to stop sales of our games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and Belarus while this conflict continues. As a result, our games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or the EA app, including through in-game stores. We are also working with our platform partners to remove our titles from their stores and stop the sale of new in-game content in the region. The statement from Electronic Arts goes on to detail that it will be making changes to popular sports titles such as FIFA and NHL games. Russian teams will be removed from the roster of these games and EA will be evaluating other titles and areas where they can do the same. Microsoft Xbox In the aforementioned appeal for support and help, the Ukraine Prime Minister Myhailo Fedorov specifically mentions Xbox:

In response to this call and what could have the widest implications thus far, Microsoft and Xbox have suspended sales of their products and services in Russia.

In a blog post at the Microsoft official website by Brad Smith, President and Vice Chair of Microsoft, he states: We are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.

We believe we are most effective in aiding Ukraine when we take concrete steps in coordination with the decisions being made by these governments and we will take additional steps as this situation continues to evolve. In addition to the halt of sales, Microsoft will actively support Ukraine to beef up its cybersecurity assets and help protect against the cyberattacks from Russia: Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations. We have also acted against cyberattacks targeting several additional civilian sites. We have publicly raised our concerns that these attacks against civilians violate the Geneva Convention. Smith also reinforced Microsoft's commitment to provide resources and financial aid to the United Nations, Red Cross, and other NGOs currently on the ground in Ukraine. Other sanctions in the gaming and entertainment industry While Sony has not formally declared joining the other gaming companies that have denounced the invasion of Ukraine, it appears something will be forthcoming. The gaming giant was due to debut Gran Turismo 7 in Russia along with the rest of the world, but the game has been pulled from Playstation Russia Store.

Moreover, the sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine have not been limited to gaming companies. Warner Bros. Pictures already pulled the release of the Robert Pattinson led superhero film The Batman in Russia.