As game companies around the world continue to join the boycott against Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Ubisoft and Take-Two are the latest to suspend sales and installations for Russian customers.
French mega-publisher Ubisoft announced in an updated blog post that they have decided to pause all physical and digital sales in Russia, citing the “ongoing tragedy in Ukraine,” supposedly suspending both physical and digital game sales in the country, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Take-Two released a similar statement, announcing a temporary block of new game sales and installations in both Russia and Belarus, as well as suspending all marketing support within the two countries. The ban extends to all of the company’s subsidiaries, including 2K games and Rockstar – the developers behind the immensely successful Grand Theft Auto series, which is believed to be the third-most popular game in Russia, behind Counter-Strike and DoTA 2.
Ubisoft and Take-Two join an ever-growing list of major game companies who have taken action in response to the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine. Last week, EA removed Russian and Belarusian teams from its FIFA and NHL game rosters and later suspended sales of its games in in-game currencies in Russia altogether. Activision Blizzard and Epic Games also halted sales of games and virtual items in the country.
Other major companies that have taken similar steps and suspended sales in Russia include Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, CD Projekt Red, Netflix, Google, TikTok, PayPal, Adobe, and Apple, among others.