Gran Turismo / Sony
If you love cars and own a modern Playstation, chances are you’ve played some iteration of the iconic Gran Turismo series. But if you also live in Russia, I’ve got some bad news about the newest GT title that launched globally just last week.
On Wednesday, Sony announced it was halting all hardware and software shipments to Russia. In particular, the gaming giant noted that one game in particular that has been hotly anticipated from auto enthusiasts around the world will have its launch suspended in the country: Gran Turismo 7.
via Sony
Gran Turismo 7 officially launched last week worldwide. With 34 tracks and more than 420 cars, it’s a car lover’s virtual dream—in fact, we called it a “nostalgic love letter to GT fans,” and you can read our actual review of the game here. However, the game’s launch never actually came for Russian enthusiasts expecting to race their favorite halo car around a track.
According to EuroGamer, Sony decided to quietly pull the game from Russia’s PlayStation store the night prior to its launch. This was just one day after Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, publicly called for both Sony and Microsoft’s gaming arms to leave the Russian market. At that time, Russian gamers were simply shown a message indicating that the release date was “Pending confirmation” when trying to purchase Gran Turismo 7. Today, if you attempt to reach the same page, Sony notes that Gran Turismo, among everything else, is not available to purchase.
An official confirmation of Sony’s call for peace in Ukraine came late Wednesday afternoon in the form of a tweet.
Software and hardware sales aside, Sony has also suspended the operation of its entire online PlayStation store. This means that that buyer in Russia will not be able to purchase any digital goods directly from Sony. Other marketplaces have also been unable to process transactions paid for in Rubles, as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal have all left the Russian market as well.
A number of other larger tech companies have taken a similar stance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including competitors Microsoft and Nintendo. It’s not clear if or when, or under what conditions, the companies might lift their restrictions against the sales of their respective goods in Russia.
Keyword: Sony Refuses to Launch Gran Turismo 7 in Russia for Now