Sony has seemingly withdrawn Gran Turismo 7 from the PlayStation Store in Russia. Polyphony Digital’s latest racing title was due to be released worldwide today, March 4, but is now showing up on the Russian Store as “release date pending confirmation” on both PS4 and PS5.
Why has Sony withdrawn Gran Turismo 7 from sale in Russia?
While Gran Turismo 7 is available to buy from the majority of PlayStation storefronts around the world, the game is not for sale in Russia through the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5. In place of the game price and the Add to Cart button is a message simply stating “release date pending confirmation”, as noticed by Eurogamer. Sony is yet to make an official statement but were believed to have made the decision late into the evening of March 3, likely in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is unknown whether the game is still available at retail.
The move follows calls from many parts of the world, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, for Sony to pull their PlayStation Live services from Russia. Microsoft has already removed their products and services from sale within Russia, while Nintendo has put the Nintendo eShop into maintenance mode following the failure of their payment processing service to handle payments in rubles. Other developers to remove their games from sale in Russia and Belarus include CD Projekt and Bloober Team with more set to join their ranks over the coming days.
In other news, rumors of an imminent Project Spartacus reveal have gathered steam once again as some PS4 and PS5 players have reported receiving complimentary PlayStation Now memberships when they renew their PlayStation Plus subscriptions. Elsewhere, Deus Ex and System Shock creator Warren Spector is creating a brand new IP with his latest studio OtherSide Entertainment.
