CD Projekt Red, the developer of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, is stopping all game sales in Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Projekt Group products, as well as games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus,” the game studio announced on Twitter.
CD Projekt Red—which is based in Poland—said it stood “firm with the people of Ukraine.” It also signaled that other companies should consider suspending product sales in Russia and Belarus, the country’s ally in the invasion of Ukraine.
“While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people,” the game developer said.
The decision comes just a day after the Ukrainian government urged all game development companies, including Sony and Microsoft, to pull out of the Russian market. Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has been lobbying tech companies to shun Russia in an effort to pressure the Kremlin into calling off the invasion.
Still, the ban from CD Projekt Red is probably more of a symbolic gesture. Critics are already pointing out that many Russian users likely bought or pirated the company's biggest games months or years ago.
In addition, many major credit card providers, including Visa and Mastercard, have stopped serving Russia's major banks due to US and European sanctions. Meanwhile, the value of the Russian ruble has plummeted. As a result, it’s already become hard for Russian users to buy PC games from platforms such as Steam within the country.
Even so, CD Projekt Red is facing some pushback from critics concerned the game studio is unfairly targeting Russian consumers. “This feels more like punishing civilians than the country? What do gamers in Russia have to do with the invasion?” wrote one user on Twitter.
In response, CD Projekt Red said: “We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe.”
Last week, the game studio also donated $232,000 to support humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine.