Microsoft has closed the Xbox office in Russia, Russian media reports, citing its own sources. As part of an initiative to reduce the company’s presence in the aggressor country, all employees were fired, dev.ua writes.
- According to Russian media, an official announcement about the closure of the Xbox office is expected soon. It is assumed that Microsoft may announce it on June 30, 2022.
- According to media, future Microsoft games for Xbox Series X|S and PC, which were announced for release in Russian, will be localized. However, it is unknown what will happen to future projects because the company has announced its withdrawal from the Russian market.
- In March 2022, Microsoft suspended all new sales of Xbox Series X|S and new accessories to retailers in Russia. At the same time, the generation of new Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass cards and codes for the Russian region was stopped.
- Russian media suggest that warranty service for previously sold consoles will also be canceled, or users will be asked to send products to service centers in other countries.
“When it comes to Russia, we, like everyone else, are basically seeing our business narrow and narrow and narrow and narrow until, eventually, there’s barely or there may be nothing there. We do want to take care of the people who work for our company, and we’re trying to be mindful of how to provide them with the kind of support I think they need and deserve because they’re not the ones who started this war. But, at the same time, there’s a clear path forward,” Brad Smith, president and vice chair of Microsoft, commented in the interview for The Washington Post.
