Take-Two and Ubisoft suspend sales in Russia over Ukrainian invasion

(Image credit: SOPA Images (Getty))

Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft have announced that they are halting sales of their games and services in Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine.

"We have watched recent events unfold in Ukraine with concern and sadness," Take-Two Interactive vice president of corporate communications Alan Lewis said in an email sent to PC Gamer. "After significant consideration, last week, we decided to stop new sales, installations, and marketing support across all our labels in Russia and Belarus at this time."

Ubisoft confirmed its policy change in a one-line update to last week's blog post on the state of Ukraine and its employees in the country: "In light of the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, we have decided to suspend our sales in Russia."

Non-gaming companies including Airbnb, Spotify, Volkswagen, Oracle, Netflix, Nike, Boeing, Netflix, PayPal, and many others have also stopped sales or manufacturing in Russia, while international economic sanctions have cratered the value of the country's currency, inflicting significant pressure on Russia's leaders but also causing hardships for much of its population.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.