Nintendo has halted its business operations in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, and, at its 82nd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, it was asked about its plans for the region in the future and how the war is impacting its sales within the European region.
“Since the payment provider for Nintendo eShop (which operates the digital business) in Russia has suspended transactions in Russian rubles, the Russian Nintendo eShop has been in maintenance mode since March 4th,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa explained in response.
“In addition, due to the suspension of Nintendo eShop operations and logistical difficulties, for the time being, we are not shipping any products, including physical products, to Russia. We will not discuss the specific amount of impact, but this issue has a negligible effect on our overall financial results since sales in Russia are only a small part of overall sales for the Nintendo group.”
Director and senior executive officer Satoru Shibata adds: “Regarding business in the Russia region, we are giving serious thought to how to handle this going forward, in light of changing world affairs. In Europe, as in other regions, Nintendo Switch sales continue to be steady even entering its sixth year, and interest from consumers is high. While changes in the environment like the situation in Ukraine and global inflation do exist, these factors have not greatly affected the progress of the Nintendo Switch business in Europe.”
