SPE has halted all operations in Russia, including home entertainment releases like Spider-Man: No Way Home, and has temporarily blocked access to its Crunchyroll anime streaming service. Any TV distribution arrangements in the country will be halted as a result of the move.
Last August, Sony, which owns anime streaming provider Funimation, purchased Crunchyroll and stated that the two services would be merged – a process that has already begun. Crunchyroll’s Russian website states it’s “had to cease its activity in Russia,” according to ComicBook.com, adding that users won’t be charged for their subscriptions while the service is unavailable in the country. In Russia, Funimation is already unavailable.
Morbius and other upcoming theatrical releases were yanked from Russia by Sony last month, while the Sony-owned PlayStation suspended all sales and shipments to the nation earlier this week. On Thursday, Sony’s music division announced that it would close its activities in Russia.
In addition to Sony, entertainment behemoths spanning television, cinema, and gaming, such as Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal, Netflix, and a slew of major gaming businesses, have pulled sales and services from Russia.
