TheNintendo eShopis one of the easiest and most convenient ways to acquire new Nintendo games and acts as a solid digital infrastructure for recent consoles like the Nintendo Switch. When theeShopgoes down, gamers around the world are affected, which may make taking the Nintendo eShop down a display of power. Recently, it appears that all Nintendo eShop sales have been suspended in Russia, a fact that may be connected to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
A number of users have reported that the Russian version of the Nintendo eShop is not currently processing payments. While this may be less explicitly a reaction to the Russian attack on Ukraine thanMicrosoft’s decision to suspend all sales in Russia, some still suspect a connection.
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According to a support page on the Nintendo.ru website, Nintendo has confirmed that the payment service used by the Russian eShop is not working. An automated Google translation of the statement in question declares that the payment service has suspended the processing of all payments made in rubles. As a result, the Russian Nintendo eShop has been placed into maintenance mode to deal with the non-functional payment service. Since this is happening just before theWii U and 3DS versions of the Nintendo eShop are closedfor good, Russian Nintendo fans may be quite frustrated with this turn of events.
One might be inclined to suspect that Nintendo has joined the list of gaming companies moving against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The list of companies now includesRemedy ofMax Paynefame, CD Projekt Red, and the Kyiv-based GSC Game World, the developer working onSTALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl. Even The Pokemon Company, the brand in charge of one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, has released a statement declaring its support for Ukraine and donated to a humanitarian aid charity. It would make sense for this to be an announcement that Nintendo is now joining the group of gaming companies restricting sales in Russia.
However, the statement on the Russian Nintendo eShop site seems to be rather neutral in phrasing. This leaves it ambiguous whether Nintendo is behind the suspension of sales or if the digital store was forced to effectively close because of a third-party payment service provider in the region. Whatever the case, it appears that–like many othervideo game sales outlets in Russia–the RussianNintendo eShopis currently shuttered and may be for some time.
