Nintendo of Europe has announced that it will be winding down its Russian subsidiary. The company will also reduce the eShop service in Russia to “limited service” from May 31, 2023. This means that Russian users will no longer be able to make new purchases or use download codes on the eShop. However, users with an existing Nintendo Account will still be able to redownload digital content. These are contents that they have already paid for.
The eShop has been in “maintenance mode” since March 2023. This is after the payment service used by Nintendo stopped accepting Russia’s currency, Rubles. This also led to the suspension of the eShop service in Russia. The eShop page stated that it was “temporarily placed into maintenance mode”. Nintendo has not made any official statement regarding the reason for the suspension of the eShop service in Russia. But it is speculated that it is related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Nintendo’s decision
Nintendo of Europe has decided to wind down the operations of its Russian subsidiary due to the economic outlook. As part of its efforts to honour its users in the Russian market, the Russian version of the Nintendo eShop will be set to offer limited service. The company has not given any indication of when the eShop service will be brought back online in Russia.
Impact on Russian gamers
The end of the eShop service in Russia will have a huge impact on Russian gamers who own a Nintendo Switch. They will no longer be able to purchase new games or DLCs from the eShop. It is unclear whether Nintendo will be able to change the decision of the payment service provider to stop accepting Rubles and bring back the eShop service in Russia.
Final Words
The eShop service in Russia marks a huge change for Nintendo and its users in Russia. At the moment, there is nothing gamers can do to change the situation. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether Nintendo will be able to bring back the eShop service in Russia in the future.
