Video games are no exception as the global business community moves to ostracize Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
Even as NATO and NATO-aligned forces have yet to engage in direct combat, economy-shattering sanctions have cut Russia off from goods and services that many of us take for granted, from vacation rentals to basic internet service.
Here is a rundown of what we have seen so far from key players in the video game space, as efforts to ostracize Russia have snowballed in the midst of Ukrainian calls for the industry to take action.
Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are the three biggest names in console gaming and they have all made moves to cut off Russia.
In the case of Microsoft, all new sales have been suspended as the company complies with the economic sanctions set by the federal government. Further actions could be taken according to Brad Smith, president and vice chair at Microsoft.
Smith wrote in a company post that they 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 the situation continues to evolve. He said that the top priority for Microsoft is to protect Ukraine's cybersecurity.
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Nintendo and Sony are both based in Japan, so the actions taken are a little different. In Nintendo's case, sales are suspended in the company's online store, but not because of any action taken by the company. Nintendo's Russian website blames the company's payment services for not processing payments in Russia's currency.
Gran Turismo 7 was supposed to be released on the PS 5, but appears to have been canceled or delayed. The Russian version of the store does not show it.
Nintendo and Sony have not commented on the invasion beyond their support pages. We reached out to both of them for further comment.
The actions taken across the industry are not limited to console hardware players. Major publishers and studios have responded in different ways.
The two chip-makers have both suspended sales of their products to Russia and its ally in the invasion.
A number of key players on the software side have made moves. Call of Duty publisher has suspended sales of its games in Russia, which covers both the games themselves and any purchases that can be made in each one. The company is matching employee contributions to Ukrainian relief efforts 2:1.
Russian teams were removed from the most recent games by Electronic Arts. The company stopped selling its games and in-game content in Russia and Belarus.
We have decided to stop selling our games and content in Russia and Belarus because of the conflict. The games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or theEA app, including through in-game stores.
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The publisher of the Assassin's Creed series hasn't made any public announcements about suspending sales. The teams and the people of Ukraine were the focus of a statement released by the company.
The safety and wellbeing of our teams and their families is our top priority. Over the past months, we have been closely watching the situation, and our primary focus has been the security of our teams, according to the March 1 statement.
All teams were recommended to take shelter in a place that they considered safe in the middle of February. To support them as they made these difficult decisions, each team member was provided additional funds to help cover exceptional costs and paid their salary in advance to account for any potential disruption to banking systems.
The publisher donated 200,000 euros to the Ukrainian Red Cross and Save the Children to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian people.
Alan Lewis, a spokesman for Take-Two Interactive, said the company has watched recent events unfold in Ukraine with concern and sadness.
After significant consideration, we decided to stop new sales, installations, and marketing support across all our labels in Russia and Belarus.
As calls for private interests to take action have grown louder, a number of the industry's larger publishers have been conspicuously absent. The situation has yet to be addressed publicly by many companies. We have reached out to those that we can say something about.
China-based publishers have not been involved in the conflict thus far. The situation is a little bit clearer in the case of Tencent, which also owns the messaging platforms. According to Insider, the company has appealed to its users to remain objective when it comes to sensitive topics. China has historically maintained friendly ties with the Russian government.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the company that makes the video game "Fortnite" said it was stopping commerce with the country. The free world should keep all lines of dialogue open because we are not blocking access for the same reason as other communication tools remain online.
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CD Projekt Red, the Polish developer behind Cyberpunk 2077 and the owner of the online games store GOG, took a similar action. Poland, a NATO member nation which borders both Ukraine and Russia, has been supportive of efforts to resist the Russian offensive and offered refuge to displaced Ukrainians.
The CD Projekt Group decided to stop all sales of their games to Russia and Belarus because of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
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Valve Corporation is the owner of Steam. The online store for PC games is still available in Russian, but it is not a region setting. There are anecdotal reports that suggest that using the platform right now in Russia has been complicated by the suspension of payment providers there.
Bloober Team, a studio based in Poland, said it would stop selling Blair Witch and The Medium in Russia because of the hostilities there. While Valve hasn't taken any action with the availability of steam in Russia, Bloober's statement makes it clear that game makers and publishers have the power to pull products of their own.
We have been working with our partners to put the games down from the stores in these countries.
Nintendo, along with two other Japanese companies, are partially owned by the Pokémon Company, so it is not clear who would make the final call on suspending sales in Russia. The Pokémon Company made a statement and made a donation to those affected by the conflict. A carefully worded statement skirts around any mention of Russia by name.
The Pokémon Company International is making an immediate $200,000 donation to Global Giving to provide humanitarian relief.
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While its country is under siege, the game developer behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has shifted away from making video games. In a video released Wednesday, the voiceless caption explains that they are trying to help their employees and their families survive, while expressing hope that their work will continue after the victory of Russia.
Some of these actions may have been prompted by the direct appeal for help from the Ukrainian government. On Wednesday, Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov shared a letter asking the games industry and community to help.
The official accounts for the two consoles were directed by Fedorov.
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All parties mentioned here that have not taken a stance have been reached out by Mashable. As calls for help increase in volume, intensity, and reach, it is expected that those and others will take first or additional steps. As new information develops, we will keep this story updated.
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