Ukraine pleads for the games and esports industry to pull all support from Russia

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine called on “all game development companies and esports platforms” to stop any business in Russia after the ongoing invasion of Vladimir Putin.

Mykhailo Fedorov, also Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, posted an open letter on Twitter addressing the gaming industry in general but specifically referring to Xbox and PlayStation in his tweet (thank you, Axios). Fedorov urged the industry to block Russians from accessing any gaming accounts and exclude any Russian teams from esports events and cancel all tournaments that should be held in the country. “In 2022, modern technology is perhaps the best answer to tanks, multiple rocket launchers, and missiles,” the letter says.

“I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe and, finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression – and I call for temporary blocking of all Russian and Belarusian teams and gamers in all international eSports events and cancel all international events held on the territory of Russia and Belarus.

@Xbox @PlayStationYou know precisely what is happening in Ukraine right now. Russia declares war not on Ukraine but the entire civilized world. You must live by the Russian market if you support universal human values! pic.twitter.com/tnQr13BsSvMarch 2, 2022

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“We are confident that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to stop the shameful military aggression preventively.”

IN follow-up tweetFedorov also mentioned Riot Games, EA, Ubisoft, and Wargaming, asking them to “please help us stop this. Close your offices in Russia! There is no place for an aggressor on the world technological map!”

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “full-scale” illegal invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since then, various hardware and game makers have banded together to support Ukraine and denounce Russia’s actions. This War of Mine developer 11 Bit Studios has pledged to donate all sales between February 24 and March 3 to charity in Ukraine, while Stalker GSC Game World called the invasion “an inhuman cruelty.” Earlier this week, SpaceX delivered a batch of Starlink user terminals to provide internet access in the country.

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