The studio behind Pokémon GO has just announced that Russian and Belarus players can no longer download Pokémon GO. In the next few days, it should also no longer be possible to play the game on these territories .
POKÉMON GO SUSPENDED IN RUSSIA AND BELARUS
We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine. Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will also be suspended there shortly.
— Niantic 🧭 (@NianticLabs) March 11, 2022
The game was therefore removed from the App Store and Google Play Store in Russia and Belarus . Pokémon GO will soon be completely unplayable in these two countries, at an undetermined date . Niantic therefore goes even further in the restrictions than many other video game players, who "just" withdraw their products from sale, but the products already purchased are still usable.
MORE AND MORE VIDEO GAME PLAYERS ARE TAKING ACTION AGAINST THE RUSSIAN MARKET
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have already taken out restrictions against Russia , as have several publishers. Belarus is "less" affected by these restrictions, but is increasingly affected over time. Some of the GAFAMs have also taken measures limiting their presence in the Chinese market. Amazon, among other things, stopped the sale of New World but also suspended access to Amazon Prime Video for its Russian and Belarusian subscribers. Netflix had done the same , suspending its service in Russia before.
Pokémon GO is no longer available in Russia and Belarus.
