In light of Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, many countries announced sanctions against the nation. FIFA has also recently kicked Russia out of the World Cup 2022, with UEFA suspending Russian club teams as well from participating in international competitions.
Following FIFA’s announcement, EA has made a statement saying that it will be removing the Russian national team and clubs from FIFA Online, FIFA 22, and FIFA Mobile.
Due to the constantly evolving nature of the situation, EA states that it will be “actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games”. There is a chance that this is the start of many more removals of Russian teams from video games in the days to come.
This is something that doesn’t just affect the FIFA titles, as EA will also be removing the Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from NHL 22. While it is difficult to predict what kind of effects these actions will have, they show EA’s stance on the issue clearly.
Also, it is showing solidarity with Ukraine, whose vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, called for esports organisations to ban Russian and Belarusian teams and players from international events. Fedorov believes that “such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression.”
Brandon shapeshifts between being a nerd and a geek like Mystique, but with fewer options. He reads an unhealthy amount of comics and manga, while playing a healthy amount of board games and video games.
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Jake Su
