Bungie, the makers of Destiny 2 and creators of Halo, is pulling out of Russia and Belarus. The company announced the move last night amidst a growing chorus of game developers who are similarly suspending sales of their games in Russia.
"At the time of this article being published, it is reported that over two million Ukrainians are displaced by an ongoing invasion, with no end in sight. Family, friends, homes, and communities are being lost,” wrote Bungie in a statement. "Bungie stands with the people of Ukraine and everyone impacted by the ongoing war."
Bungie opened its statement by encouraging Destiny 2 fans to give to donate to two charities: Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee. Both are helping to ease the humanitarian crisis created when Russia invaded Ukraine and began indiscriminately bombing and shelling its civilian population centers. Bungie has already given $120,000 for these two organizations through its Game2Give charity initiative and plans to match all employee donations to any US-based charitable organization.
Beyond charitable giving, Bungie announced two actions. First, it will halt all Destiny 2 sales and commerce in Russia and Belarus. “Players in these regions will still be able to play any Destiny 2 content they have already purchased and download the free game but will no longer be able to purchase new content or Silver."
Second, players of Destiny 2 will be able to show their support of Ukraine in-game thanks to a new emblem. The emblem, called "Cоняшник" (which is Ukrainian for Sunflower) features the Ukrainian coat of arms, Ukraine’s colors, and a sunflower motif. The emblem will be available later today through a free code that will be revealed in today’s TWAB.
Bungie joins an expanding list of game makers that have halted sales in Russia. EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, CD Projekt, Sony, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft have all halted sales in Russia and Belarus and issued their own statements in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. This is no small gesture as the move is likely costing them billions in revenue, although it’s a price that pales in comparison to the one being paid by Ukraine.
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