EA has made it clear that it is against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not only has it said so through public statements, but the company has also chosen to remove itself from Russia in multiple ways. One of the ways it did so previously was by removing Russian and Belarus teams from its FIFA and NHL series of games.
On Wednesday, EA took another step in distancing itself from Russia by stating that Russia and Belarus would no longer be considered eligible countries for its esports programs. This means that any team, or player, that participates in their esports leagues such as the Apex Legends Global Series or the EA Sports FIFA 22 Global Series is now unable to compete.
“We have made the decision to remove Russia and Belarus as eligible countries in our esports programs. Effective immediately, players and teams in Russia and Belarus are ineligible to participate in the Apex Legends Global Series and the EA Sports FIFA 22 Global Series.”
The statement continued to echo the same feelings as EA’s previous statement, that it is shocked and saddened by Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine and calls for peace. EA’s choice to mark players from Russia and Belarus ineligible also echos the response of other organizations involved in gaming, such as the streaming site Twitch.