Current:Home > StocksEA is cutting Russian teams from its FIFA and NHL games over the Ukraine invasion -NextFrontier Finance
EA is cutting Russian teams from its FIFA and NHL games over the Ukraine invasion
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:05:52
The video game giant Electronic Arts announced Wednesday that it's removing Russian teams from some of its sports games amid the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
"We stand with the people of Ukraine and join the voices around the world calling for peace," one of the statements reads.
EA is removing the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from FIFA 22, FIFA mobile and FIFA online.
The statement from EA SPORTS FIFA noted that it was also "actively evaluating changes to other areas of our games," but didn't clarify what it meant.
EA will also cut the Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from NHL 22 in the coming weeks.
Also on Wednesday, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, urged companies in the gaming industry, including tech giants Sony and Microsoft, to temporarily block all Russian and Belarusian accounts.
He also implored gaming companies to stop Russian and Belarusian teams from participating in esports competitions and cancel any international events in either country.
"We are sure that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop this disgraceful military aggression," Fedorov said.
Russian professional athletics is facing consequences beyond the digital world, too.
FIFA has banned the Russian national team from upcoming competitions, and billionaire Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich said he was putting Chelsea up for sale.
The NHL also announced it was suspending relationships with its Russian business partners and pausing its Russian-language social and digital media sites.
veryGood! (59)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Infant found dead inside garbage truck in Ohio
- Michael Jordan plans to sell NBA team Charlotte Hornets
- 'Are you a model?': Crickets are so hot right now
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- The Truth About the Future of The Real Housewives of New Jersey
- Girls in Texas could get birth control at federal clinics — until a dad sued
- Idaho dropped thousands from Medicaid early in the pandemic. Which state's next?
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Stone flakes made by modern monkeys trigger big questions about early humans
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Standing Rock’s Pipeline Fight Brought Hope, Then More Misery
- Ex-Soldiers Recruited by U.S. Utilities for Clean Energy Jobs
- High inflation and housing costs force Americans to delay needed health care
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Big Three Automaker Gives Cellulosic Ethanol Industry a Needed Lift
- Honduran president ends ban on emergency contraception, making it widely available
- Peyton Manning surprises father and son, who has cerebral palsy, with invitation to IRONMAN World Championship
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
Big Three Automaker Gives Cellulosic Ethanol Industry a Needed Lift
Lawmakers again target military contractors' price gouging
Uber and Lyft Are Convenient, Competitive and Highly Carbon Intensive
Sam Taylor
Michigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools
Red and blue states look to Medicaid to improve the health of people leaving prison
Heartland Launches Website of Contrarian Climate Science Amid Struggles With Funding and Controversy