FIFA 22: EA stops sales to Russia and Belarus

After announcing that the Russian national team and Russian clubs would be removed from FIFA 22, EA has taken more measures against the country.

Microsoft has already stopped sales to Russia, and now EA has followed suit, with games and content suspended for Russia and Belarus.

This will include “virtual currency bundles”, which means that in-game purchases in Ultimate Team will also be halted.

Cutting the Supply

As announced on their official site, EA will be cutting off sales of all its games and in-game purchases in Russia and Belarus.

The statement read:

We have made the decision to stop sales of our games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and Belarus while this conflict continues. As a result, our games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or the EA app, including through in-game stores.

In addition to that, EA also said they are:

working with our platform partners to remove our titles from their stores and stop the sale of new in-game content in the region.

The plan to remove EA content from all stores is just another show of solidarity from EA toward Ukraine, aiming to stand against Russia in any way they can.

Show of Solidarity

With FIFA and UEFA banning the Russian national team and Russian clubs from football competitions, EA has mirrored this in FIFA 22.

For now, Russia and all Russian clubs will be removed from FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile, and FIFA Online, while other areas of the game are actively being reviewed.

A Call to Arms

The games industry has heard the call from Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to exclude Russia from worldwide goods, something he asked for in a recent open letter.

The thinking behind this is to turn the Russian people against their government, in order for them to pressure the government into ending the invasion.

EA is more than happy to help out in any way they can, summing up their stance on the conflict in their latest update:

We continue to be shocked at the conflict that is unfolding in Ukraine, and join so many voices around the world in calling for peace and an end to the invasion. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Our primary concern is the ongoing safety of those in the region, particularly colleagues and partners, and we are seeking to understand how we might best help them further beyond our programs that are already in place.