Twitch has shared that it will stop paying Russian streamers on its platform, to comply with sanctions placed upon Russia in recent weeks.
In an email (via Washington Post), Twitch told Russian streamers that “Payouts to the financial institution associated with your Twitch account have been blocked as a result of sanctions.”
“Twitch complies with economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other governments, and is complying with those imposed in response to the situation in Ukraine. These sanctions may limit or impact your access to payouts, ability to monetize your stream, and/or financially support other creators.”
The company also told streamers that “if you can’t provide an alternative financial institution, we will do our best to pay you revenue you have earned as soon as we are permitted to do so.”
Speaking to Washington Post, one Russian streamer called Lina said that “I feared it and knew it could happen, but didn’t expect it to happen this soon and overnight over the weekend,” though added that she would continue to stream.
Alexey âJesus AVGNâ Gubanov shared that despite moving to the United States due to his opposition of Vladimir Putin, his payments have still been halted:
“For many years I have been against the Putin regime, because of which I had to flee my home country, and yet I still have to answer for all the terrible actions of Putin, even in another country.”
Like Lina, Gubanov will continue to stream.
Across the gaming industry, a multitude of companies have halted sales in Russia – including Microsoft, Take-Two, Epic Games, and Activision Blizzard.
In other news, the Bundle For Ukraine has launched – offering 991 games for just ÂŁ8. All profits from the bundle will go to two charities working to assist victims of the conflict in Ukraine.
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