Pokemon Go shut down in Russia, Belarus

Joining others in the industry in condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Niantic Labs has shut down Pokemon Go in Russia and Belarus. Niantic is the latest to join others in the gaming industry to retreat from the Russian market. Gaming heavyweights like Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, CD Projekt Red, Epic Games, etc, along with Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have all exited the Russian market.

However, as The Verge reports, “the extent to which these companies have suspended business in Russia varies”. While some of them have just stopped “offering their wares in the country”, others have removed their in-game purchases as well as offering their games, and some others have “shut down their games entirely”. Niantic is one of the companies that has shut down its games completely.

Niantic announced their decision via a tweet on March 11 where it said - “We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine. Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will also be suspended there shortly.”

The company had announced earlier that it was matching its “employee donations to a number of nonprofits —with some $75,000 raised as of March 3 — and donating $200,000 directly to humanitarian organisations responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine”.

“Everyone has a right to explore and enjoy their communities without fearing for their own safety—and what is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy. Innocent people are being targeted and killed, millions of people are being displaced, and many more lives have been turned upside down by this violent invasion,” Niantic had said post its March 3 announcement regarding donations.

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