CD Projekt Red is halting game sales in Russia and Belarus.
In light of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine after Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion on the neighbouring country last week, the Warsaw-based video game developer, publisher and distributor is standing in solidarity with the people of the Ukraine.
Belarus became the second country in Europe to invade Ukraine this week, and players there will also be impacted.
In a statement, CD Projekt - the firm behind games such as 'Cyberpunk 2077' and 'The Witcher' series - said: “The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine.
"While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people.
“We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action, we wish to further galvanise the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe. To our brothers and sisters fighting for their home country – stay strong!”
EA Sports has also removed all Russian football teams from FIFA 22.
The video game giant - which releases a new version of the football game every year reflecting upon the real-life world of soccer - made the decision to omit "all Russian clubs" from various platforms in a bid to "stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people", amid Russian president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
In a tweet, EA wrote: " In line with our partners at FIFA and UEFA, EA Sports has initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products including: FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile, and FIFA Online. EA SPORTS stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine."
The tweet went on to explain that EA - also known for games such as 'The Sims' franchise and the 'Battlefield' series - are also actively pursuing "other areas" to change within the company with regards to the Ukraine crisis.
The decision came after Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov begged "all game development companies and esports platforms" to cease business with Russia amid the crisis.
In an open letter, he wrote: "I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe and, finally, the entire democratic world. I appeal to temporarily block all Russian and Belorussian accounts, temporarily stop the participation of Russian and Belorussian teams and gamers in all international esports events and cancel all international events holding on the territory of Russia and Belarus. We are sure that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression."
