Sony suspends all PlayStation hardware and software shipments, digital sales in Russia

What just happened? Sony has become the latest company to announce that it is pulling its products and services from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The move comes soon after Sony decided to suspend sales of Gran Turismo 7 in Russian regions.

“Sony Interactive Entertainment joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,” the company wrote in a statement. “We have suspended all software and hardware shipments, the launch of Gran Turismo 7, and operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia.”

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— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 9, 2022

Additionally, Sony said it would be supporting humanitarian aid through a $2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international NGO, Save the Children, to help victims of the invasion.

Elsewhere, Bungie, which is in the process of being acquired by Sony, announced that it is suspending all Destiny 2 sales and commerce in Russia and Belarus. Players in those regions will still be able to play Destiny 2 content they have already purchased and download the free game but will no longer be able to purchase new content or Silver. The company is also introducing a yellow and blue Cоняшник free emblem for players to show their support for the Ukrainian people.

Bungie stands with the people of Ukraine and everyone impacted by the ongoing war.

Starting today, we will be working with our partners to suspend all Destiny 2 sales and commerce in Russia and Belarus.https://t.co/zS9slidhH0 pic.twitter.com/N2M8H5NYZu

— Bungie (@Bungie) March 9, 2022

The list of companies pulling their services and products from Russia keeps growing. Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Netflix, Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, EA, Amazon, CD Projekt Red, Ubisoft, Apple, and Take-Two are just some of the names that have taken action. And The Verge notes that Nintendo has put its Russian eShop in maintenance mode as its payment processor suspended processing rubles. Addionally, the Japanese gaming giant has delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp following the invasion.

We’ve also seen internet service provider Cogent terminate its service with Russian-based customers, and Lumen Technologies, another internet backbone provider, just announced it is stopping its operations in Russia. The latter counts telecoms providers Rostelecom, TransTelekom, and mobile operators MTS, Megafon, and VEON among its Russian customers.