Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several prominent game publishers ceased releasing games in the region. Nintendo stopped releasing physical games in the country last year, and now it seems gamers will not be able to access digital titles from the Nintendo Switch eShop, either. According to an email obtained by Game Developer, Nintendo of Europe has dropped nearly all support for the Russian eShop as of May 31st. While users are no longer able to make new game purchases, they will still be able to use the eShop in a limited capacity, mostly to redownload software that has already been purchased.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“As a result of the economic outlook, Nintendo of Europe has decidedto wind down operations of its Russian subsidiary. Aspart of our efforts to honor preceding commitments to our customers inthe Russian market, the Russian version of Nintendo eShop will be set tooffer limited service,” the email reads. “As of May 31, 2023, and for the foreseeable future, Russiancustomers with an existing Nintendo Account will be able to redownloaddigital content that they have previously purchased. It will not bepossible to make any new purchases or use download codes within [the]Nintendo eShop in Russia.”
While this will be no doubt frustrating to Switch owners in Russia, it’s possible there could be a workaround. Presumably, Switch owners will be able to change their region in order to access other versions of the eShop, but it’s impossible to say without testing it. Regardless, it seems Nintendo of Europe does not see a benefit to continuing to support the region.
This is actually the second time a Nintendo decision was seemingly influenced by the war in Ukraine. Last year, Nintendo made the decision to indefinitely delay the release of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp. While Nintendo did not explicitly cite the war as the reason behind the delay, the company did attribute the decision to “recent world events.” Given the fact that the game’s events begin with an invasion led by a country inspired by Russia, it’s not difficult to see why that decision was made. The game was finally released back in April.
Are you surprised Nintendo has stopped supporting game releases in Russia? Letusknowin thecomments orshare yourthoughts directly on TwitterandonHive atย @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
