Nintendo eShop Suspends Service In Russia, Enters “Maintenance Mode.”
The NintendoeShop in Russia is unavailable due to a temporary suspension of services. However, Nintendo has yet to comment on the current invasion in Ukraine.
“Due to the fact the payment service used by [the] Nintendo eShop suspended the processing payments in rubles,” read the statement from the official Russian support site for the eShop. (Thanks to Nintendo Life for the translation). We apologize for any inconvenience caused. As the situation changes, we will keep you informed.
While Nintendo has not yet responded in an official capacity to the crisis in Eastern Europe, several other companies in the sector have done so. 11 Bit Studios, developer of the acclaimed This War of Mine, has raised more than PS500,000 for Ukraine’s Red Cross through the sale of the game. Riot Games will donate $1 million to three humanitarian organizations helping those in Ukraine and the surrounding areas. Electronic Arts also announced that Russian teams would be removed from FIFA 22 and FIFA Online. DICE also released the cosmetic for the Mi-240 Super Hind Russian attack helicopter in Battlefield 2042 due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, pleaded with video game companies to support sanctions and do everything possible to “protect Ukraine, Europe, and ultimately the entire democratic world” from Russia’s authoritarian aggression. Fedorov continued, “I appeal to temporarily ban all Russian and Belarusian accounts and stop all Russian and Belarusian gamers from participating in any international esports events. Also, I ask that all Russian and Belarusian players be temporarily blocked and banned from all international esports events. We are certain that such actions will encourage the Russian citizens to stop disgraceful military aggression.”
The Russian public justice held anti-war demonstrations. Thousands of people were detained for protesting against the invasion of Ukraine. You may be afraid, but to give in to this fear would be to join fascists or murderers. Putin has already taken from Russia its economy and relations with the rest of the world, as well as hope for the future,” stated Alexei Navalny (Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist, and critic of Putin’s government).
