Niantic Labs has shut down Pokemon Go in Russia and Belarus in solidarity with Ukraine.
This decision is part of the game industry’s retreat from the Russian market. Publishers like Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two Interactive; developers such as Ubisoft, CD Projekt Red, and Epic Games; as well as Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have all left the market.
The extent to which these companies have suspended business in Russia varies. Some have merely stopped offering their wares in the country, others have removed in-game purchases as well, and still others have shut down their games entirely. Niantic Labs joins that last camp:
Niantic Labs previously announced that it was matching employee donations to a number of nonprofits—with some $75,000 raised as of March 3—and donating $200,000 directly to humanitarian organizations responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Everyone has a right to explore and enjoy their communities without fearing for their own safety—and what is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy,” the company said in the March 3 announcement. “Innocent people are being targeted and killed, millions of people are being displaced, and many more lives have been turned upside down by this violent invasion.”
