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Sony said it was halting all sales of its PlayStation consoles and software in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement sent to NPR, a company spokesperson for its video games unit called for “peace” in Ukraine on Wednesday and said Sony had suspended all shipments of software and hardware throughout Russia. The company will also suspend shipments of the new racing game Gran Turismo 7 for the country.
Additionally, the PlayStation Store will no longer be available to users in Russia.
“Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,” the company said in its statement.
Along with halting sales of its games, consoles and digital media store, the company announced a $2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international non-governmental organization Save the Children, to support victims in Ukraine. .
“Sony sincerely hopes that this situation will be resolved soon and that peace will be restored to Ukraine and the world,” the company said.
Sony’s decision to halt sales of gaming consoles and products is one of the “biggest” decisions in the gaming industry; Sony has the largest presence in Russia compared to any other console maker, CNBC reports.
“PlayStation has the largest installed base, so if one company on the console side has a particularly tough choice from a purely financial standpoint, it’s Sony,” Lewis Ward, head of games at IDC, told CNBC.
Sony is the latest company to pull its operations out of Russia, as several large companies and corporations have followed suit since the country invaded Ukraine.
Companies ranging from Apple to Exxon Mobil to Netflix have either abandoned or reduced their investments in Russia, deepening the country’s economic crisis.
Last week, Apple announced the suspension of sales of iPhones and all other products in Russia. Additionally, the company said it would stop exports to the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to stopping sales of all Apple products, the company’s popular payment service, Apple Pay, is being restricted in Russia, according to a company spokesperson.