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Russian customers that have been using the Nintendo eShop for their gaming needs won't be able to make any new purchases or transactions using the service, beginning on May 31st, 2023.

Nintendo of Europe started sending emails to publishers, to which some websites like Game Developer caught upon. In said email, Nintendo mentions an overall halt in sales for Russia through their eShop service. This isn't the first time Nintendo does something like this on Russian territory, as last year Nintendo stopped product shipments to the country. With the current cease of sales in the eShop, Russian customers will only be able to redownload already owned titles from the eShop, but they won't be able to make any new purchases. Nintendo will also delete all kinds of payment information from Russian customers that have a Nintendo Account (like credit card and PayPal information) for privacy reasons.

As a result of the economic outlook, Nintendo of Europe has decided to wind down operations of its Russian subsidiary. As part of our efforts to honor preceding commitments to our customers in the Russian market, the Russian version of Nintendo eShop will be set to offer limited service.

As of May 31, 2023, and for the foreseeable future, Russian customers with an existing Nintendo Account will be able to redownload digital content that they have previously purchased. It will not be possible to make any new purchases or use download codes within Nintendo eShop in Russia.

While Nintendo cites the "economic outlook" as the reason for the closure of the eShop, it's almost certain it is tied or a consequence to the current on going conflict in which Russia is involved. It could also be related to the fact that Russia made piracy legal in the country since March, 2022, after several gaming (and other) companies started making sanctions effective for the region.

Source

 

[Viri]

Most companies ditched Russia, because they couldn't even accept Russian money anymore, even if they wanted to.

 

[Kioku]

As if Russia isn’t already a pit of pirates… I get the reasoning, but this really won’t do much…

 

[Asia81]

Nintendo in like 3 days, “Why piracy so high in Russia? ;O;”

russia isn't like the piracy kingdom ?

 

[Maximumbeans]

Wait, is this just the eshop we're talking about here?

Nintendo of Europe has decided to wind down operations of its Russian subsidiary

Won't this mean more for Russian Nintendo gamers than just the eshop shutting up?

 

[mathew77]

90% of them supports putin

It's not true.

 

[The Catboy]

russia isn't like the piracy kingdom ?

regular reminder to not take my posts seriously

 

[Xzi]

While Nintendo cites the "economic outlook" as the reason for the closure of the eShop, it's almost certain it is tied to the current on going conflict in which Russia is involved.

It's definitely all about the money. If Nintendo had any moral or ethical qualms about the invasion they would've left the second it started.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Why until now tho?

Perhaps it has to be with the gigantic sanctions Japans is imposing after Lukaschenko allegedly offered "nukes for everybody that joins the Russian-Belarus alliance" a couple of days ago.

You see, for some reason Japan has some kind of aversion against nukes and nuke proliferation.

PS:
anyway the only surprise for me here is that people in Russia actually buy stuff in the eShop instead of pirating everything.

 

[Ettino]

Tomorrow news. Russian Nintendo fans storm Moscow and remove Putin from the official, then promptly end the war in order to have the eShop back.

 

[tommasi]

Ohh, big N is playing with fire

 

[Lazyt]

Why until now tho?

Possibly To find a new distributor for this area so that people would not theow a shade at nintendo and still could sell their products there

 

[17hitcombooo]

they didn't close the shop in russia after months in the rest of the world?

 

[TehCupcakes]

Wait, is this just the eshop we're talking about here?



Won't this mean more for Russian Nintendo gamers than just the eshop shutting up?

Nintendo had already stopped physical shipments to Russia a year ago, so effectively the eShop is what was left.

Also the part that isn't mentioned which I think is kind of important is that many payment providers stopped accepting Russian currency. It's hard to blame Nintendo for shutting it down under the circumstances.

 

[mrdude]

Yeah, now china can sell lots of RP2040 based boards to Russia and they can all pirate all their games. Well done Ninty, I guess money doesn't mean that much to you after all. I wonder what will be next, maybe they will remove the Russian language from all future games? That will teach them!

On a serious side, though! Take note - this is why buying games online with no disc/cartridge backup is stupid in the long run.

 

[Jayro]

Man, it must really suck to live in Russia right now, lol. So many countries and companies are cutting them off for being fascist cucks, and rightfully so.

 

[Osha]

Look on the internet what these ordinary people are really like. 90% of them supports putin

Me when I lie out of my ass

 

[kuro0628neko]

Politics on a gaming board lmao. Regardless of what you think of the conflict in Ukraine, depriving private citizens of a product and lowering your own bottom line is foolish on the part of Nintendo.

 

[HarveyHouston]

While I am not involved with the politics in either Russia or Ukraine, I would say the same thing if what happened in Russia was happening here in the United States - it's the people that matter. We "common folk" can't take the blame for what's happening withing our governments; that said, war is hardest on commoners like myself.

Russia is at an economic low right now; it's a wonder we don't see people leaving in droves. Oh, and I'm just curious - what's Snowden doing these days?

 

[Xzi]

Politics on a gaming board lmao. Regardless of what you think of the conflict in Ukraine, depriving private citizens of a product and lowering your own bottom line is foolish on the part of Nintendo.

They left precisely because they weren't making any money anyway, which means they would've left even without an ongoing war.

 

[eyeliner]

It's the reason why lots of companies have pulled out?

Sometimes I pull out, but war ain't got nothing to do with it.