Pokémon Go developer Niantic announced that it has disabled downloads of its hit mobile game in Russia and Belarus effective immediately. In addition, the developer says following the download ban, it’s planning to suspend gameplay in the region, which is planned sometime in the near future.
This ban isn’t just limited to just Pokémon Go. Niantic’s other games will also go dark in Russia, including the developer’s original game Ingress and its other Nintendo collaboration game Pikmin Bloom. While announcing its decision, Niantic says it stands “with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine.”
The move follows Niantic and The Pokémon Company‘s pledge from last week to donate $200,000 each to support relief efforts in Ukraine. On top of the donation, Niantic employees have raised $75,000, which Niantic is matching and will be donated towards charities and non-governmental organizations that provide support in Ukraine.
Following the fallout of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, other game companies have made a similar move by suspending game downloads in the region. It isn’t limited to just software, but console platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo have halted all hardware and boxed game shipments to Russia for the foreseeable future; digital purchases on the platform’s online store have also been suspended.
