Sony on Wednesday announced that it is halting sales of PlayStation consoles and games in Russia, joining a growing number of entertainment, tech industry and food companies cutting ties with the country following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The PlayStation online store is also now unavailable in Russia.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine. To support humanitarian aid, Sony Group Corporation announced a $2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international NGO, Save the Children, to support the victims of this tragedy,” Sony said in a statement Wednesday.
Sony currently sells both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles globally, though the company has been unable to meet the high demand for PS5 due to an ongoing chip shortage.
Video game companies CD Projekt and Electronic Arts have also pulled out of Russia, as has Xbox maker Microsoft and Epic Games, maker of Fortnite. Other companies that have ceased operations in Russia in response to the invasion include Discovery, WarnerMedia, Amazon and Universal music group among many others.