EA Sports has removed Russian teams from NHL 22/FIFA 22
After Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the screws tightened against Russia. While it might not seem to stop its brutal oppression, video game companies are beginning to remove digital teams from their universes.
The sum of all parts is starting to have a withering impact – not on those at fault but on ordinary Russian citizens, who were drawn into this mess often against their will. There is hope that many will be strong enough to say, “Enough is enough.”
Russia is under severe economic sanctions. The sporting and digital worlds have stepped in to support the people of Ukraine. EA Sports just announced that it would be removing all Russian players from the current FIFA and NHL versions.
In the following days, the publisher will also remove the Russian and Belarusian teams from NHL 22.
When will Russia be expelled from FIFA and NHL?
EA has indicated that the NHL teams will be removed in the following weeks and that FIFA has initiated the process. This should be possible quickly, as it doesn’t seem like something that will take ages to fix. There are many questions about the move and how it will be implemented in Ultimate Team modes.
At this time, there is not much information on how it might apply to cards that were ‘bought” by microtransaction. The possibility exists that players could still exist in the game universe, but they may not be attached to their clubs. This is likely to be the most challenging part of the puzzle.
We are getting more of it every day. It would be a surprise if more videogame companies didn’t get on board.
