Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp no longer has a release date. Nintendo announced today it’s pushing back the Switch game’s launch as a result of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The news comes as many other gaming companies have instituted bans of certain products in Russia as the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold.
“In light of recent world events, we have made the decision to delay Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which was originally scheduled to release on Nintendo Switch on April 8th,” Nintendo announced on Twitter today. “Please stay tuned for updates on a new release date.”
A remake of the turn-based strategy games that originally came to Game Boy Advance back in 2001 and 2003 respectively, Advance Wars 1+2 was revealed at E3 2021, and was previously set to come out last December, before being delayed until this spring. The first game revolves around a war of aggression by a neighbouring country, that is later revealed to be the orchestrated plot of a separate group with the goal of weakening and destabilizing the world order. (Albeit in fictional countries.)
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24 and has so far resulted in the deaths of over 400 civilians, has led other gaming companies to reconsider their plans as well. The Pokémon Company engaged in almost zero promotion for a livestream revealing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in late February, “out of respect to our global audiences.” There were rumours Sony’s March 9 State of Play livestream could be delayed over the ongoing war as well. That’s in stark contrast to how the gaming industrial complex has carried on apace during some other humanitarian crises.
Other companies have directly condemned Russia’s actions or taken steps to boycott the country. Beginning with Cyberpunk 2077 maker CD Projekt Red, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, EA, Epic, and Ubisoft have all stopped the sale of new products in Russia, and some have pledged financial support to Ukraine. Sony has reportedly pulled Gran Turismo 7 from the Russia PlayStation Store, but hasn’t weighed in publicly.
Nintendo also hasn’t shared its public position on the conflict. Like many other gaming companies, the Switch manufacturer has a regional marketing office in Russia. However, Nintendo was forced to send the Russia Nintendo eShop into maintenance after third-party payments stopped being processed for the country. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about whether it would take any further steps.
Leave a Reply