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Sony, Microsoft have started suspending sales in Russia

By Otto Kratky March 4, 2022

Two days after Ukraine’s vice prime minister called on Sony and Microsoft to suspend Russian gaming accounts, it seems that the two companies are taking action. According to a report from Eurogamer, Sony appears to have pulled the release of its latest first-party title, Gran Turismo 7, from the nation. In its own blog post, Microsoft took more drastic action, announcing that it is suspending “all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia.”

Microsoft’s move against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine is much larger than Sony’s, although precise details on what the effects will be like for Russian consumers are not available. The company’s suspension of sales, which includes all of its products and services, likely means that Russian users may not be able to purchase any Xbox first-party titles, along with subscriptions to Game Pass or Xbox Live. It’s not clear if Xbox consoles are being pulled from store shelves in Russia, or if Russian users will be able to continue using any of the company’s online services.

We have reached out to Microsoft regarding which services will be impacted by its suspension of sales and will update this article when we hear back.

While Sony hasn’t officially announced that it won’t be releasing Gran Turismo 7 in Russia, the game’s Russian PlayStation Store page currently displays a gray screen with text that (when translated) reads “not available for purchase.” The game’s worldwide launch is today.

Actions from both Microsoft and Sony against Russia follow a similar move from the company behind Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher franchise, CD Projekt Group, which suspended all of its sales in the nation.

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Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

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