EA Sports has announced the removal of the Russian national team, as well as all Russian clubs from FIFA 22, Mobile and FIFA Online. The developer also added that he is also actively evaluating relevant changes in other areas of his games.
This is a response to the current situation in Ukraine as EA Sports wants to express its solidarity with the Ukrainian people. EA Sports is not the first developer or publisher to come out in support of Ukraine, as various esports organizations and teams have also made public statements regarding the situation.
However, EA Sports is one of the biggest developers and their decision to speak out publicly on this issue could have a positive impact on the entire industry.
EA Sports, FIFA and UEFA stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people
As for whether more changes will be made to FIFA 22, Mobile and Online in the near future, remains to be seen, but EA Sports has confirmed that the community will be notified of any new changes to the game.
Recently, Blast Premier, the popular esports league from Copenhagen, announced a ban on Russian teams and the cancellation of regional qualifiers for the CIS due to events in Ukraine. Although reactions to the decision were mixed on social media, the organization generally viewed it as a positive move.
EA’s public position is incredibly important as its position in the industry as one of the largest publishers gives them a solid opportunity to influence other major AAA publishers. It was also recently announced that the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World is suspending the development of its long-awaited upcoming game STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl.
It will be interesting to see if other developers and publishers follow suit with EA’s announcement and release a similar public statement.