Electronic Arts announced that it is currently in the process of removing both Russian national teams and all Russian clubs from its sports titles. FIFA 22 and NHL 22 are the two big sports games in question that will have their Russian teams patched out.
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“EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine,” the company said in a statement on the EA Sports FIFA Twitter account.
A statement from EA SPORTS FIFA: pic.twitter.com/v3pZvpblgS
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 2, 2022
“In line with our partners at FIFA and UEFA, EA Sports has initiated processes to remove the Russian National Team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products including: FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile, and FIFA Online. We’re also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games. We will keep our communities up to date on any actions taken, and thank players for their patience as we work through these updates.”
While Electronic Arts only mentioned its FIFA titles in the tweet, the company has also tweeted from its EA Sports NHL account to note that it would be removing both the Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from NHL 22 “within the coming weeks.”
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The move comes following the worldwide outrage from Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, and comes after the real-world FIFA organization has already barred Russian teams from international soccer play, most notably the World Cup. Elsewhere in the sports world, the IIHF — International Ice Hockey Federation — banned all Russian and Belarusian teams from its competition until further notice, as it joins various countries in levying severe sanctions against Russia.
