Last week, Electronic Arts announced the removal of Russia from its FIFA 22 title in a declaration of solidarity with Ukraine. The decision sparked a movement among other gaming entities, such as Epic Games, Rockstar Games, and Ubisoft.
While FIFA 22 removed Russia and Belarus as playable teams from most of their online and offline modes, including its athletes, the game has moved ahead with the removal of all Russian player items, kit items, and stadia and stadiums from Russian clubs and the national team in FUT packs. The decision comes in unison with FIFA and UEFA both announcing the barring of Russia and Belarus from all future tournaments.
FIFA 22's Football Ultimate Team is one of EA's largest moneymakers, where players assemble players of all nationalities and clubs, dress them in uniforms customized to their liking, and decorate their stadium as they wish, with flags and banners from national teams and clubs. Gamers acquire all aspects by purchasing FUT packs with currency either purchased with real money or by accumulating it from playing online. Players can also trade and sell any items from their inventory, creating a trade market with hundreds of thousands of active players. It's an immersive experience that has captivated its audience along with Squad Building Challenge, which will also be affected by this decision.
EA Sports has claimed that players who have already received any form of Russian content, whether it's players or other items, may continue to keep them, but any future possibility of earning these items is now impossible. This includes Russian Manager League consumable items and Manager items from the Russian Premier League. It appears that Russian-born players who are involved with non-Russian clubs are still available in Football Ultimate Team packs, but for how long remains to be determined. Players who have also acquired any Russian content in the past will not be permitted to auction or trade off any of their merchandise, as EA has set blocks in place to prevent users from profiting off the scarcity of the items.
The movement stems from an appeal from Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Mykhalio Fedorov, asking gaming companies to stop selling their content in Russia. After Apple decided to stop selling their products, CD Projekt Red halted sales of both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher. Companies such as Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount have all ceased operations with Russia, along with petroleum companies Shell and BP. Worldwide, the United States, European Union, and countless other countries have added their own sanctions.
FIFA 22 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
