EA has announced that it is removing all Russian and Belarusian teams from its official eSports programs, effective immediately.
COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 12: EA photographed on August 12, 2021 in Cologne, Germany.
The announcement was made as the studio's attempt to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, amidst the military crisis unfolding in the country. According to US News, this now disqualifies Russia and Belarus from the EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Global Series, as well as the "Apex Legends" Global Series.
This announcement follows the company's recent decision to also stop the sales of its games and content in both countries. It is also the latest move from a major player in the video game industry against Russia, purely because of the ongoing military operation in Ukraine that has claimed thousands of lives already.
As per EA, their decision comes with a call for peace and an end to the military conflict, which has raged in Ukraine since February 24th. But they didn't share any further details on the matter.
The eSports industry has been quite a vocal critic of Russia in the midst of its actions against Ukraine. Among the many reasons is that some of the biggest eSports stars in the world are actually based in the war-torn country.
Among those who were trapped during the initial invasion was Oleksandr "s1imple" Kostyliev, a "CS: GO" pro who hails from Kyiv, according to ESports.com. The capital city of Ukraine is where most of the fighting happens, with Kostyliev tweeting how the city is "being shelled."
Furthermore, many other eSports clubs have also voiced their opposition to the war, including Natus Vincere, G2 eSports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Astralis, and even Team Liquid founder/co-CEO Victor "Nazgul" Goossens.
Read also: Major eSports Organizations Are Showing Support For Ukraine In Wake Of Russian Invasion
Not The First Instance Russian Teams Are Banned From ESports Competitions
Of course, "FIFA 22" and "Apex Legends" tournaments are far from the only eSports leagues that are banning Russian teams from competing. According to PCGamer, "Rainbow Six" eSports have also disqualified Russian players.
Galaxy Esports invited Dota 2's top 10 Esports team as constituents of its Invitational Tournament in Dubai.
However, those who still really want to compete can, as long as they agree to compete under a neutral banner-aka they won't be representing Russia.
The list goes on. Russia-based "CS: GO" teams have also been banned from competing in any tournaments held by BLAST Premier, writes DotESports. The Copenhagen-based league has also announced the cancelation of the CIS qualifiers, which is slated to originally happen later this year.
With all these bans, it seems like the entire eSports (and video game) community as a whole has turned its back on Russia, much like how Big Tech has done the same during the past few weeks. And these bans aren't small fry as well, because the country's eSports and gaming scene is a booming industry on its own.
Russia boasts a growing eSports audience, whose numbers grew to 15.4 million spectators back in 2020, according to a report by EuropeanGaming. But since almost the entire industry has now cut the country off, this doesn't bode well for the future of Russian eSports.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
