CD Projekt RED and Bloober Team Pull Their Games From Sale in Russia

Both CD Projekt RED and Bloober Team have announced that they will temporarily stop selling their games in Russia and Belarus. This order also applies to GOG.com.

IN A NUTSHELL:

CD Projekt Group has decided to stop selling digital and physical copies of its games in Russia and Belarus;
This also applies to services provided by GOG.com.
Polish studio Bloober Team has made a similar decision.

The war in Ukraine is escalating. Fortunately, many people and businesses are trying to help its inhabitants. Yesterday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister called on gaming giants to shut down their services in Russia. Several notable studios have responded to this urgency.

CD Projekt RED

Today, the creators of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt posted the following message on Twitter:

"In light of the Russion military invasion in our neighboring country of Ukraine, until further notice CD Projekt Group has made the decision to halt all sales of our games to Russia and Belarus. Today we begin working with our partners to suspend digital distribution and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Projekt Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus."

In the latest report CD Projekt admitted that the combined share of Russia and Belarus in buying the company's products and in revenues from game sales on the GOG platform over the past 12 months was 5.4% and 3.7%, respectively.

Words from the company

In the further part of the announcement there are words concerning the current situation in Ukraine:

"The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine. While we're not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and we don't aspire to be one, we do believe that commericial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people. 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 out about what is taking going on in the heart of Europe.

To our brothers and sisters fighting for their home country, stay strong!"

The message concludes with the words in Ukrainian "Glory to Ukraine!"

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Bloober Team

The Krakow-based studio responsible for the warmly received The Medium, the Layers of Fear series or Observer has also its their contribution in this matter. In the announcement posted on Facebook we read:

"Dear Community,

As the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues, killing defenders and civilians alike, we at Bloober Team have decided to stop selling our titles in Russia and Belarus across all platforms. We’ve been working with our partners to put the games down from the stores in these countries – the ban coming into effect first on Steam."

Words from the company

In the following sections of the message, the developer argues its decision with the words:

"Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people and this is one of several steps we’re currently taking to support them. We understand that our decision might affect many Russian and Belarussian players who are not involved in this invasion, but we strongly believe that every step that can help stop the war is worth taking - this includes showing a full solidarity with the Ukrainian people both with words and actions, as well as creating pressure on the Russian and Belarussian public opinion.

We believe a global joint resistance can help make a difference. We want to be a part of a world that doesn’t turn a blind eye to warmongering. And we won’t stay neutral when human lives are at stake.

Bloober Team."

Interestingly, the action of the team's last game - the aforementioned The Medium - takes place in Poland shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Bloober Team is currently working on Layers of Fear 3, which was announced last fall.