Editor’s Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.
Nintendo has put the Russian eShop into ‘maintenance mode’, meaning no purchases of new content can be made in the country.
As noted on the Nintendo Russia site, the payment service Nintendo uses for the eShop is no longer processing Russian rubles, meaning Nintendo cannot take payments. The statement ends, “We apologize for any inconvenience caused. We will share updates as the situation develops.”
While many major gaming companies, including Xbox, have deliberately suspended sales in Russia, Nintendo’s wording in the statement implies that this is an unintentional byproduct of another company’s decisions, rather than its own move designed to join the chorus of games industry support for Ukraine. We’ve contacted Nintendo for comment on that point.
A number of humanitarian aid organizations are currently accepting donations and support for their efforts to help Ukrainians impacted by the war. They include:
- Save the Children: On the ground right now providing humanitarian aid to children.
- UNICEF: Providing emergency supplies and safe water to communities, as well as care for children on the ground and who have been separated from families.
- Project HOPE: Sending medical supplies and providing health care for refugees.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.