Electronic Arts has announced that it will be removing all Russian teams from its current FIFA and NHL games, as a response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
“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,” EA tweeted. “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. We’re also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games. We will keep our communities up to date on any actions taken, and thank players for their patience as we work through these updates.”
A statement from EA SPORTS FIFA: pic.twitter.com/v3pZvpblgS
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 2, 2022
In EA’s ice hockey division, the publisher added that the game’s Russian and Belarusian teams will also be removed from NHL 22 within the coming weeks. These moves echo real-life sporting sanctions that have been levied against Russia, as it has been expelled from the 2022 World Cup and its teams have been suspended from all international football competitions held by FIFA and UEFA.
A statement from EA SPORTS NHL: pic.twitter.com/2uX4h55ok4
— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) March 2, 2022
The NHL 22 ban echoes the real-life suspension of the Russian and Belarusian teams by the International Ice Hockey Federation recently. Belarus is assisting Russia in its invasion, while Russia’s basketball teams have been barred from entering international competitions.
Russia faces numerous sanctions in response to the Ukraine invasion, as well as entertainment blockades until further notice. Apple product sales have been halted for now, Warner Bros. Interactive has delayed the release of The Batman in Russia, and Disney has paused all movie releases in Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called on Sony and Microsoft to also join in on these sanctions, while various other gaming industry studios are organizing relief efforts.
If you’d like to help ongoing humanitarian efforts, we’ve assembled a list of humanitarian organizations like the Ukrainian Red Cross and Unicef that you can donate to.
Source: Gamespot
