Numerous studios from the gaming world continue to loudly express their reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some have issued messages of support to Ukraine, while others are donating a certain portion of their income. Some studios have chosen to show their reactions differently by directly stopping sales of their games.
Bloober Team, a Polish game developer known for games such as observer, Blair Witch, Medium, announced that it is withdrawing all its games from Steam for Russia and Belarus. “This action is not retaliation against the people living in these areas, but a stand against war,” says Team Bloober.
Bloober said they knew the decision could affect Russian and Belarusian players unrelated to the invasion, but thought every step to stop the war was worth taking. By withdrawing these games from sale, they hope to show that they are with the Ukrainian people and that the russians and belarusians will put pressure on the administration, says Bloober Team.
Another major studio that made a similar decision is CD Projekt. CdPR, another Polish developer, has not only stopped the digital and physical sales of Russia and Belarus; the Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077;
CdPR’s description is similar to Bloober Team’s:
“As all CD Projekt, we stand with the Ukrainian people. While we do not have the political presence to directly affect state problems and we do not have such enthusiasm, we think that commercial organizations have the power to inspire global changes in the hearts and minds of ordinary people when they come together. We know that Russian and Belarusian players who have nothing to do with the Invasion of Ukraine will also be affected by this decision, but we want to make sure that the community speaks more about this war going on in the heart of Europe. To our brothers and sisters who fought for their country – stay strong!”
It’s not hard to imagine that Bloober and the CDPR will start moving forward. On digital platforms such as Steam, which sells regionally and implements local pricing, it is easy to withdraw games on sale in the Russian region. Of course, whether these moves can cause the public to raise their voices against Russian rule is a mystery.
