PlayStation Sales In Russia Get Suspended By Sony

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 09 March 2022, 10:03 pm

PlayStation hardware and software sales are the latest business to be suspended in Russia in the wake of the military crisis.

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Sony announced its decision to stop sales in the country after a lot of other major brands did the same thing earlier. Aside from that, the company has also postponed the release of "Gran Turismo 7" there, reports CNBC. The announcement was made by a Sony representative on Wednesday, March 9th.

The company's official statement is as follows:

"Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine."

But stopping hardware and software sales isn't the only thing the company is doing, as they're also shuttering the PlayStation store in the country, reports Engadget.

Lastly, the game industry giant is also pledging a considerable $2 million donation to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. They're sending it via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children, an international NGO.

A Big Move From PlayStation

This is considered a major move from the game industry, considering how Russia is a major market for Sony PlayStation as a whole. The company's consoles are quite popular in the country, with the PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim leading the list, according to HardwareTimes. There's no data on PS5 sales, though.

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CHIBA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 20: An attendee plays a video game on the PlayStation 4 video game console in the Sony Interactive Entertainment booth during the Tokyo Game Show 2018 on September 20, 2018 in Chiba, Japan. The Tokyo Game Show is held from September 20 to 23, 2018.

Sony has joined other major global brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, PepsiCo, and even Starbucks in suspending their operations due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. But they're far from the only game industry giant to do so.

Game developers were among the first, including "The Witcher" and "Cyberpunk" developer CD Projekt Red, EA, and Epic Games. Sony PlayStation's biggest rival, Microsoft, has also suspended all new product sales in Russia. This includes new Xbox consoles and subscription services (likely Xbox Game Pass).

Will Russia's Economy Weather The Storm?

Military operations are not always dependent on weapons or troop numbers. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "an army marches on its stomach," and you cannot continue an operation without the economy keeping your army supplied.

Russia knows this well enough, which is why many people are asking whether the country's armed forces could weather the economic storm caused by all these sanctions.

According to a report by The Guardian, Russia is sitting on a $650 billion "war chest" of foreign exchange reserves and gold in order to keep the economy running. So despite the economic sanctions and numerous big businesses pulling out of the country, they technically still have something to keep their military operation going.

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But whether the sanctions will put an end to the Russia-Ukraine crisis remains up in the air. According to CFR.org, this is likely due to their $650 billion nest egg, which was apparently a years-long attempt to brace itself from such economic penalties.

For now, all that remains is to wait to see what happens. The global gaming market is expected to reach $314.14 billion in value by 2026 (via Yahoo), meaning that Sony PlayStation's move is a major economic blow-bar none.

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Written by RJ Pierce