Epic Games joins the boycott of the Russian market already implemented by other major industry players.

 

 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked mixed reactions around the world, but the video games industry has also taken a stand. We see various players joining the general boycott of the Russian market for its actions in the current war, and even Microsoft has stopped selling its products.

Now the Epic Games Store has decided to take a stand and, in a statement shared on its official social media accounts, has announced that it is suspending sales of its games in the aggressor country. The reason is apparent: Tim Sweeney’s company decided in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

“Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine,” the message reads. “We’re not blocking access for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.”

“The free world should keep all avenues of dialogue open” – Epic statement

Epic’s store will therefore keep its platform open, so users joining from the country can continue to play games in their library, but it will not offer the possibility to purchase new titles or ultimately make transactions to purchase the various products available.

The powerful platforms remain active in the country for the time being, although Ukraine itself has asked PlayStation and Xbox to block the service. On the other side, the decision is expected to be taken by Nintendo, which has for the time being carried out maintenance on its eShop, which may be linked to the suspension of payments in the Russian currency, the rouble.

Source: Twitter

Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine. We’re not blocking access for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) March 5, 2022