Russian PlayStation players are losing access to their accounts and game libraries en masse. The latest wave of blocks, according to Russian media, is linked to attempts to circumvent restrictions via foreign accounts.
Russian PlayStation players are losing access to their accounts and game libraries en masse. The latest wave of blocks, according to Russian media, is linked to attempts to circumvent restrictions via foreign accounts.
According to some Russian media, over the past week, PlayStation 4 and 5 users have been complaining about sudden account blocking. In most cases, gamers from the Russian Federation tried to buy a subscription or game using profiles registered in other countries (for example, in Turkey, the USA or Argentina). After such a transaction, one or two days pass, after which the account is automatically blocked.
The problem is not only limited access to the PlayStation Network (PSN), but also the loss of the entire library of purchased content. In some cases, Russian users are deprived of dozens or hundreds of previously purchased games. The support service, which still responds to requests in the Russian Federation, claims that it cannot help: the decision to block comes directly from Sony’s head office.
On social media, Russian users are complaining not only about being blocked, but also about losing money. One of the «gamers» is outraged:
«I think we need to file a class action lawsuit from Russian users against the company. They stole my annual PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. We just paid for it in December, and in February they left. And there is no access to some of the purchased games and additional content that has already been purchased. No questions asked — they left, so they left, but why didn’t they return the money?»
Many other users from the Russian Federation began to write that everyone needs to switch en masse to PCs, and some users began to demand a ban on the sale of these consoles in the country 404.
Sony has stopped official deliveries and sales in Russia. The company left the Russian market in 2022, but technically users from the territory of the aggressor country could still play and buy content until recently. Gray and parallel importers still remain on their market, who continue to import and sell consoles and games. You can also buy and use previously purchased physical copies of games, i.e. discs, in Russia.
This is not the first such incident. In May, Sony massively blocked Russians from accessing PSN for attempting to circumvent sanctions restrictions by using VPNs or third-party payment services.
This wave of blockings confirms that Sony is gradually but systematically eliminating the possibility of circumventing its restrictions. Despite local support, the company does not plan to restore a full-fledged presence in Russia and is increasingly responding to violations of sanctions and regional restrictions.
As a reminder, our news feed also featured a story about a large-scale court case against Sony in the Netherlands. The company is accused of abusing its monopoly position and imposing inflated prices on digital games on the PlayStation Store, which resulted in the so-called «Sony tax.»
