On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion to conquer the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Stonemaier Games unequivocally stands in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia.
We’re a game publisher, so what does that really mean?
- We’ve cut off all economic ties with our Russian localization partners. This was a bittersweet decision, as we have two longstanding publishing partners in Russia. I’ve met and exchanged many emails with the CEOs of these companies, and they are both kindhearted people whose values seem very much aligned with ours. However, we cannot provide any form of revenue for a government that invades another country with intent to annex and absorb it–Russia is trying to conquer Ukraine. This includes halting production of several print runs that were in progress, so this decision will cost us somewhere between $30,000 and $65,000. It is nothing compared to the horrors faced by the citizens of Ukraine right now. Please note that there were several reprints and new products that completed production before the war began–they already entered the freight shipping process, and we could not stop those shipments.
- We’re forgiving any payments owed to us by Ukrainian localization partners. We have three wonderful publishing partners in Ukraine. We are writing off any expenses they owe to us, as there are much more important things for those companies to do with those funds right now.
- [added March 1] We’re donating $10,830 to support emergency humanitarian aid for Ukraine. We learned today that a print run of games very recently shipped from our manufacturer to one of our localization partners in Russia. Our profit for that print run is $10,830, and we are donating all of it to Libereco, which is partnering with Vostok SOS to “address the most urgent needs of the people in the immediate danger zone, to bring them medicines and bandages, to help them evacuate and to find temporary housing.”
This is what we’ve done so far, but we are paying close attention to the situation and will continue to do so in the days, weeks, and months that follow as we learn how to best support the people of Ukraine and how to best deny support to the Russian government/military. As an individual, here’s a great list of organizations to support in this dire time. If you’re a creator who also stands with Ukraine, feel free to share how you’re doing that in the comments below.
You might wonder sometimes if you should say something in the face of tragedy–I can understand those doubts, fears, and concerns. But as for the Ukrainians from whom I’ve heard, silence from the outside world is deafening. Saying that we’re out here listening, caring, believing in them, and doing what we can isn’t about optics–it’s about Ukrainian lives.
***
UPDATE: I appreciate the comments here and on Facebook, and I need to clarify a few things. First, there are many acts of wrongdoing in the world every day, including in the United States (where I live, work, and pay taxes) and China (where we manufacture our products). As a business, we try to treat our employees and contractors well, just as we try to work with organizations that treat people well. There is still a line to be drawn, and today we’re drawing that line at supporting any aspect of a country that invades another country with intent to absorb and annex that country. As we have in the past, we’re open to having other discussions about other lines to be drawn in other areas in other forums, but this post is specifically about Russia’s attempt to conquer Ukraine and how we can help the people who are suffering right now.
Second, I truly feel for the people of Russia who do not support Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. I know how it feels to live, work, and pay taxes in a country where I sometimes strongly disagree with the leadership. I hope the people of Russia can make their voices heard to enact positive change in their country and in the world–I support those efforts and am open to hearing thoughts on how I can better support them. I especially hope you have access to news reports that accurately show what’s happening in Ukraine right now. Can you imagine the terror of bombshells exploding in your neighborhood? I’m sorry that our decision involving our Russian localization partners will impact you, and I hope to revisit that decision in the future.
For any post on any topic on this blog, I don’t allow overt antagonism, hate speech, hateful speech, blatant misinformation, whataboutism, or manipulation. I welcome constructive conversation in the comments, whether or not you agree with me, but please keep an open mind and stay on topic. How can we help the people of Ukraine whose lives are in danger right now?
103 Comments on “Stonemaier Games Stands with Ukraine”
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Just for understanding what this decision means for people in Baltics, as a former Soviet Union countries we have a lot and I mean a lot of people who are Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian russian speaking people whose mother language is Russian. Lavka games was our only way to play your awesome board games on our language because here in Baltics they fight with Russian language and it’s extremely hard to find such specific product as board game with russian localisation. I’m not defending Russia or trying to say how bad your decision is I’m just saying that not only Russia will suffer from this decision but also Baltics. Would it be possible for you to make some sort of agreement with Brain Games here in Baltics to sell russian version of the game?
Igor: Thanks for your question, and I’m sorry that our decision has impacted the Baltics. I think the ideal solution is for Russia to stop invading Ukraine, and then after a period we could start working with Lavka again. However, if that doesn’t happen, I’m open to working with Brain Games (we already work with them in the other languages you mentioned).
I’m just curious is it problem for Brain Games to make Russian version or at least make swap bundle for English version (bird cards and other items with text)?
I think that might be possible.
Call us if Brain Games decline :)
[…] localization partners, and donated $10,830 to support emergency humanitarian aid for Ukraine (see related post). Paired with the ongoing pandemic, this continued invasion has had a massive impact on the world […]
Hi!
I’m the guy who translated Wingspan (+Europe & Oceania) into Ukrainian. It`s the second time russia turned me and my family into refugees. So I’ve just want to express my gratitude for your position and action. You design and publish great games. Good to know, you are also on the Good side.
I’m so sorry about what you’ve gone through this year, Volodymyr. I hope you’re okay.
[…] Stonemaier Games Stands with Ukraine […]
Jamie, this is so cool! You delete all comments that have a different point of view!) and the warm feeling that everyone supports Ukraine) this is excellent!) it’s so democratic and so American! =)
Incorrect. I delete comments that violate the rule I presented in the above article:
“For any comment on any topic on this blog, I don’t allow hate speech, hateful speech, blatant misinformation, whataboutism, or manipulation. There have been several comments that entirely ignore the actual content of this post. I welcome constructive conversation in the comments, whether or not you agree with me, but please follow those rules and stay on topic: How can we help the people of Ukraine whose lives are in danger right now?”
Interesting, but on the other hand Lavka Games announced a localization Viticulture World expansion.
https://youtu.be/mjpE_qoC9YE?t=7401
Our localization partners entered production of Viticulture World in Q4 2022, well before Russia invaded Ukraine. It is unfortunate that they have this product, but it is not a recent development–if you see a finished product in a video, it means that it entered production at least 6 months ago.
This localization should be canceled. You should no doing your business with their bloody money. It seems that money for you is more value than innocent lives. We will show your position around the world, Jamey
Our position is that we stand with Ukraine–this is abundantly clear from the above post and the actions we took before almost any other publisher. We did cancel all Russian-language projects that were still in production. Viticulture World had already completed production and shipped to our previous partner in Russia–at that point, we do not have the control or agency to change anything (the expansion is already in their possession).
Please do not spread misinformation–that’s what Russian state TV does, and I would hope you’re better than that. I do not allow misinformation or harassment in the comments of this blog. Stonemaier Games is an ally to Ukraine, and it is truly disappointing that you’re speaking this way to an ally.
Thank you for the info, for your efforts to support Ukraine and denounce Russia’s violence, for drawing attention to the Ukrainians’ plight, and for setting clear boundaries on comments to your blog posts. My heart is with the people of Ukraine.
Congratulations, you guyz at stonemaier game rocks 🙏
[…] A mi me encanta la columna de Jamey Stegmaier de Stonemaier Games, de hecho he traducido algún artículo de él. Conociendo la calidad humana de quienes dirigen esa empresa no me extraña que hayan decidido tomar acciones que podrían costarle un estimado de más de US$70.000. Veamos que han declarado en su sitio web: […]
Greetings Jamey, very grateful for your support! Jakub Rozalski recently released an art piece for 1920+ called “Neighbors” in support for Ukraine. It would be amazing if that art piece was released as some purchasable promo for Scythe :)
Jamey, I’m a fan of YOU, and I feel a little conflicted about this. Of course, I agree that what is happening to Ukrainians is horrible, yet the fact that Syrians, Palestinians, Tibetans and so many more people have been ignored for so long and denied refuge for the color of their skin and/or religion is alarming. Not to mention how foreign students are treated at the border in Ukraine.
The reasons why so much attention is behind Ukraine in comparison is alarming.
At the same time, I understand that you can’t do everything at the same time at all times, so the fact that you are taking any action is admirable, more than what most people do.
Everything is grey, nothing is black and white.
I personally would be less conflicted with a “We Stand Against War” rather than side with any specific state, which we know none are perfect.
Regardless, I appreciate you taking a stand and doing something to help people in times of crisis.
Thank you for your comment–I think this is a great example of showing compassion and focus on the subject at hand while also acknowledging the other major conflicts that aren’t getting the same amount of information. We do indeed stand against war, and I think that’s a good frame of reference to bring up this topic in the near future for a broader conversation.
I am impressed with your efforts for peace. I really hope that this kind of reaction from whole world will lead us to cease-fire and than people in Russia will be able to play Scythe and Wingspan again.
It would lead us to cease-fire if Russia was a democracy (which it isn’t). Cremlin plays it’s own kind of Scythe and doesn’t care about people at all.
Fully respect your decision on this and hope more to do something similar.
I’m only a small content creator, but I will donating all my ad revenue to similar causes until further notice.
That’s very generous of you, Paul. For those who want to support the cause through Paul’s channel, it’s at https://www.youtube.com/c/GamingRulesVideos
Thank you for your help! You are one of my favorite publisher and it is really good that you don’t stand aside
This is not an insignificant business decision and I am honestly taken by surprise. I’ve always respected your management style of running Stonemaier Games and the degree of my patronage grew deeper today.
Impressive response Jamey. I admire you and fully support your initiative. Everyone can help and such actions if followed by many companies will have a quick impact on Russia and their odious dictator indirectly.
More companies need to follow you and stop any business with Russia.
For that matter, the same question applies to China I am afraid. The torture of Uyghur people in China is another matter that companies should address by boycotting China manufacturers. But I know you are aware of this as your update shows.
Thanks so much for what you do!
Wow. I guess I’m not surprised this became so contentious. Jamie, I respect the time and thought that you put into this decision–I’m sure you didn’t make it lightly. I agree with your decision. If the Russian gamers who are affected by this don’t like your decision, they should protest against the government who invaded a neighbor.
I guess the lens I take in situations like this is to ask “Who has done the most harm?” It’s not some American board game publisher. If they want to be upset at someone, and if they want to do something about this situation, there is another person–not Jamie–they need to hold accountable.
Jeremy, Russians at all levels of society have protested for more than a decade.
The 6000 protesters arrested in just the past few days risk disappearing, beatings, financial destruction, imprisonment and even being murdered and assassinated by authorities. They bring these consequences not only on themselves but also on their friends, associates, colleagues and families.
“The Russian political apparatus has been systematically dismantling opposition movements, creating a climate where any form of protest is met with oppression.”
https://theconversation.com/ukraine-what-anti-war-protesters-in-russia-risk-by-speaking-out-178098
Russians know precisely who is to blame, which is why the smart action is to support allies where you find them.
Even if Stonemaier games wanted to continue selling games to Russia, it would be difficult to do a business transaction with the current sanctions.
Jane, for any post on any topic on this blog, I don’t allow hate speech, hateful speech (like your comment), or blatant misinformation, whataboutism, or manipulation. I welcome constructive criticism and feedback, and you can see plenty of comments from people who constructively disagree. I will leave your comment as an example of the types of comments I’ve been removing. The lack of compassion for the people of Ukraine in these comments is astounding–people are dying, and this is what you choose to say?
If only this was the type of comments you’ve been removing. I saw and read them, and only few had “hateful” speech, most of them were just about the fact the Russians deserve some compassion just as much and/or the fact you’ve ignored a lot more crimes of the other governments. I have relatives in Ukraine (like many-many Russian people) and I do sympathise the Ukrainians, and I try my best to protest, yet this is indeed what I choose to say, because instead of supporting those who deserve it, the ordinary people of both countries, you punish the Russians for the crimes of the president most of them didn’t choose, and you make no difference to the Ukraine situation. You welcome the unconstructive praising of yourself and the “constructive” disagreement with an obligatory “but”, and I won’t make the effort to stay polite any more, you don’t deserve it.
I wholeheartedly support your decision and am proud you took it!
[…] Games (Wingspan, Scythe) announced that they will be cutting off all economic ties with their Russian localization partners. This […]
Thank you for doing this Jamey. Class act as usual.
Thank you for once again setting an example of ethical and socially responsible business practices not just for the gaming industry but for all companies to follow. It is statements like these that make me proud to support Stonemaier Games as both a consumer and a Stonemaier Champion.
Jamie, I do respect your will to help Ukraine and I also doing what I can to stop this war. Every morning I check if my best friend is still alive.
I just hope that you are aware of the fact that the small publisher you cut relations with, is the only board games company in our autocratic state brave enough to make a public statement that they are against this war. And they did it several hours before first comment in this thread.
Konstantin: Thank you for sharing. I think that’s an incredible act of bravery, and I hope for the opportunity to work with them in the future.
I’m a sometimes gamer who has bought many of your products. I just want to say I FULLY support your decision and I find it quite brave. I only wish more companies would show the moral fortitude to do something like this. Thank you.
So much to unpack here.
Let’s start with the pure disinformation. See here: https://theconversation.com/putins-claims-that-ukraine-is-committing-genocide-are-baseless-but-not-unprecedented-177511
It’s tragic what is happening in the south of Ukraine with thousands of people killed since 2014 in the civil war that Putin planned and sponsors.
The Russian President couldn’t get the outcome he wanted in 2014 with his puppet president (and convicted criminal) Yanukovych who tucked tail and ran from the country to exile in Russia with Euromadan protesters at his heels.
[For anyone interested in background of the current conflict, check out the documentary, Winter on Fire (2015) on Netflix.]
So Putin spat the dummy and invaded Crimea and the south of Ukraine on a fake pretext. As part of that invasion, on 17 July 2014 his troops or their proxies operating in the Donbas shot down civilian airliner Malaysia MH17, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew.
And just a small point of fact — Ukraine’s President is a Jewish person while the Wagner PMC (mercenaries) kill squads that Putin deployed in Ukraine at the weekend to murder Zelensky is an actual Neo Nazi.
I am ashamed that you are my compatriot. You support the outbreak of war. It was Russia that staged the wars in the Donbass. Russia led the “uprisings” of these “republics”. Strelkov spoke about this in detail. The rest of the Donetsk region as part of Ukraine lives well, only badly where Russia came! And why don’t you call for punishing those who bombed Grozny?
Jaime, I love your games, your company, and so much of the way you try to do more than lip-service for issues you care about. That said, I’m afraid this largely symbolic gesture of cancelling partnerships in Russia does more to hurt and divide than it does to stop an authoritarian regime. I understand that you don’t want tax proceeds to fund Putin’s military efforts. I support that desire. But the ones really getting hurt by your actions are the business owners (monetarily) and the Russian board game community (socially and emotionally). What will this community, and the people of Russia, remember about Feb 2022? It’s the time that the western world turned their backs on them. Who’s left to relieve Russian suffering? Board games are innately a means to invite and unite. How ironic that they’ve been weaponized.
I support a different suggestion mentioned here about donating proceeds from Russian sales to relieve suffering in the Ukraine/refugee crisis.
sorry for google translate. I agree with the comment. You can use the proceeds from Russia to support the people of Ukraine. Offer special conditions. this is an excellent test of the sincerity of the Russians against the war. small business in Russia, publishers, board game stores, and so is going through the worst of the worst days. Putin has made us all twice as poor.
Thank you for your kindness and understanding. I hope reason and humanism will prevail over all this negativity.
Respect, and glad to see this in our hobby. We do what we can with the platforms we have. Hope the day is soon when Russia can rejoin us.
Sorry for google translate. Putin will be upset because of board games? Really? the state will lose taxes? they already have our money. all payments are made through state banks. Trying to be on the wave you turned away from the Russian people. People who loved your games very much and waited like a holiday. You leave them alone with this madness. I came into the world of board games two years ago. Pandemic, home isolation. It was a ray of light in the realm of darkness. Your games. What is happening in Ukraine is terrible. My grandfathers are from Ukraine. I have a Polish surname common in Ukraine. All my life I considered myself half Ukrainian. Most Russians are now terrified. They didn’t ask us. They just did it while the people of Russia and Ukraine were sleeping. But you say “OK, you have to start a civil war, overthrow the king”. It looks like Putin’s rhetoric. The policy of double standards. This is Russia. 1/6 of the land mass. Where are we and where is Putin? I always thought that sports, hobbies, entertainment are out of politics. But you are an excellent marketer.Punished Putin for aggression. But no. All you did was turn away people from Russia. And wherever we turn, Putin is everywhere. Goodbye.
Anton: It sounds like you are suffering (in a different way than the people of Ukraine who are dying due to the invasion, but suffering is still suffering), and I’m sorry to hear that. I want to be perfectly clear in reiterating what I say in the post: I truly do feel for the people of Russia, and I’m not turning away from anyone (nor am I taking away your games–you already have some games to enjoy, yes?). However, we simply cannot provide any indirect support (through tax revenue) to Putin, and our focus right now is on the people of the country being invaded, not the people of the invading country.
I’ve read a lot of comments like yours today, and I appreciate the empathy you share for the people of Ukraine. What I don’t see in your comment, though, is anything constructive about how you think we can support the people of Ukraine right now and how we can deny support to Putin. We need to take action, not sit back and watch while a $62 billion/year military conquers a sovereign nation.
sorry for the translator. Thank you for the support of the people of Ukraine. I know that you are an honest and sincere person. But I’m afraid that won’t solve anything. next week will show how we all will live on. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
You are a publisher, Jamey, with a platform. It’s not the New York Times or CNN, but you have an audience. You could be subversive and use the power of your platform to speak to an audience that’s a subset of the Russian-speaking peoples in a way no one else is. But if you cut off that avenue, you lose that chance to influence outcomes.
As to the rhetoric about denying Putin tax revenue, IIRC you’re an international business major so you must know that a country that mints its own coin isn’t concerned about taxes in that way.
Many believe you’re acting from a good place but you have to ask: “What is the outcome I’m trying to achieve?” and “Will this action achieve that outcome?”
These are good things you’re doing. Even if they have only a small effect by themselves, this is a time for us all to stand together in opposition to Putin’s invasion.
I understand the idea of not supporting anything Russia but won’t this just stop Russians from getting some great games? I mean isn’t this kind of punishing the the people who have nothing to do with the invasion?
I think the intention of any of these financial cutoffs is that if the Russian government doesn’t care then maybe the people of Russia will eventually have enough and demand change.
The Russian people have been demanding change since 2011. Unfortunately, in a dictatorial regime and without external support, such protests are doomed.
Sorry for the googletranslate. I’m not confident enough in my english writing.
Thanks to you and your team. We need more good corporate actors. We all can stand together. I know these decisions are tough but I deeply appreciate you making this one.
Respect
It’s really great that you are forgiving payments owed to you by Ukrainians. I also 100% understand not giving money to a company based in Russia as it gives tax money to the invasion and murder.
I just hope the west doesn’t also turn barbaric against ordinary Russians living in the west, “barbaric” like the evil Russian govt. The U.S. govt also did terrible things in middle East, worse than even the horrors of Guantanamo Bay. In Ireland during WW1 the British locked up all the German men living in Ireland in a camp for years. Their children were dependent on those ordinary fathers for food and shelter. Americans rounded-up imprisoned Japanese-American citizens in WWII. The people responsible for that must not have a human heart, but most people went along with it. I doubt that will happen again, however I hope we don’t see ordinary Russians in the west being bullied in schools, or having their restaurants and other businesses attacked or boycotted. That money doesn’t go to the Russian government unlike companies in Russia. That is my worry as we ordinary people, non-psychopaths that don’t control military attacks, are all the same, we all just want to live without too much worry and enjoy the company of our friends and family. We at the bottom (without govt or military control) are all the same.
Thanks for helping Ukrainians. It’s a little bit, but millions of little bits adds up to something big. They need all the help they can get against this current psychopath and his supportive media that helped create hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of uncritical thinking followers (as is always the case in history, even in 2003).
Thanks for standing up! We should all do what we can in our own limited way. Respect!
Дякуємо! 🇺🇦
While Putin’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the world (he’s been invading the country since 2004–2013) is horrific and SG’s stance made in good faith, it will only hurt Russian-speaking peoples. It does nothing to unseat or discomfort Putin, which should be the goal IMHO.
Many Ukrainians speak the Russian language so it’s a little head-scratching to work out what this action of SG’s hopes to achieve. Better to publish a print & play that mocks and pillories Putin as a form of anti-propaganda and spread it widely.
Finally, this is not Russia invading Ukraine. It’s one criminal boss and his inner circle of cronies, oligarchs and thieves murdering thousands of people and setting the globe on the path to WWIII. The Russian-speaking peoples are not to blame.
I’m not sure where you’re seeing that I blame the people of Russia–my post says quite the opposite.
I agree that the goal is to remove power from Putin. Part of that power comes from money, and we are removing tax dollars from Russia.
As I mentioned in the post, we have several localization partners in Ukraine who localize our games for the people of Ukraine.
As I said, “Russian-speaking peoples”. There are many people in Ukraine who speak Russian. There are also very many Ukrainians and people of Ukrainian extraction in Russia.
Ilya Matveev, an academic in St Petersburg who has warned of Putin for years, has a worthwhile thread on how such actions may appear to the average Russian in the street living under this autocracy.
“So encouraging to come home after being chased by riot police and discover that you were excluded from some space/platform b.c. ‘you’ve done too little’. Who are you to judge? You’ve never risked anything in your life and this costs you nothing.”
https://twitter.com/IlyaMatveev_/status/1498404492009689091?s=20&t=44sKm_S7SGCV7mTyoaBeBA
A reminder that protest in Russia can lead to 5 year jail terms, beatings and even crippling injury and death. Russian forces have arrested thousands of Russians protesting the war in >100 cities.
Respectfully, another avenue is to take the profits from the Russian business and donate them very publicly to Ukraine’s defence and/or anti-war and opposition groups inside Russia.
Class act as always.
Jamey, I’m really disappointed by this news and sincerely do not understand why hobby like board games, the main task of which is to unite people, starts to deal with politics.
Not all Russians support military actions and the current agenda, moreover, Russians are not only citizens of Russia. The Russian-speaking world is quite large and there are a huge number of people who love and appreciate what you do and who just what to see it on their native language. To be honest, I cannot understand and accept the current oppression of Russian-speaking people and their restrictions in all areas from sports to even board games. Your country and the EU countries have always stood for the equality of all, regardless of skin color, race, orientation or nationality, so why now these rules cease to apply for people of one nationality, which are not responsible for the actions of one person?
Dmitry: Our goal is the bring joy to tabletops worldwide, and we cannot in any way support a government that is actively invading another sovereign nation with intent to annex and absorb that nation (just as Iraq did against Kuwait years ago). I feel for the people of Russia who don’t support Putin’s decision, but this is in no way political. Ethical, yes, but not political.
I applaud your efforts here Jamey. Similarly, I’m donating $10 (which is essentially the full profits after shipping) for each copy of my game to the Ukranian Red Cross this week. It’s an incredibly small drop in a very large bucket (and an even smaller drop when compared to yours) but I think it’s important that we all do everything that we can to help those in Ukraine.
Thank you, Cameron! I believe that every bit helps.
I’m disappointed. The games of the Stonemaier Games have always been my favorites. You should distinguish between the government and the people. The people do not support the authorities, they are being bullied by the authorities. Your actions will only harm ordinary players, it will not affect the government in any way. And what is the meaning of these actions?
I empathize with what you’re going through, Nick–do you empathize with the people of Ukraine as the Russian military invades their cities?
The nature of economic embargos is at least in part to remove tax revenue from the government, so while it’s just a small impact, to my knowledge our decision does indeed affect the Russian government.
Well, although it hurts to be unable to play your wonderful games, I completely understand and support your decision. Stop the war!
Gamer from Russia
Thank you. It has been demoralizing to not see anything come out from the board game hobby regarding Ukraine. Escapism is nice, but counterproductive if it means not recognizing the threat to human life. Even other hobbies have chosen to acknowledge what Putin is doing is wrong, but many Youtube channels in board gaming seem to have forgotten many of their viewers are also Ukrainian and life goes on to the next Kickstarter. I also watch the Super Carlin Brothers channel which is a family friendly channel covering Marvel and Disney topics and they’ve acknowledged Ukraine. Do viewers need to hear about Ukrainen on a boardgame channel for an hour? Maybe not, but they could spare even 10 seconds for solidarite. Seeing this lack of acknowledgment makes me want to distance myself from the board game hobby because it’s as if gamers would rather be ostriches and pretend nothing is going on. I also appreciate that there are Ukrainian translations of the games giving Ukrainian the option to have a game in their own language. Stonemaier games is a true leader in the hobby.
With all sadness in my heart: it will make 0 impact on our government that already has their one-way ticket to hell, but it will just make us even more depressed than we already are (if it’s even possible…). Not sure if it’s acceptable, but you can also help Russian political prisoners arrested during anti-war protests (including some employees of those two partners of yours) donating to this NGO: https://donate.ovdinfo.org/en#page=en
I appreciate you sharing that, Katherina–I agree that for people in Russia to enact positive change, they need to be able to voice their opinions.
This is an excellent decision and another example of why I love the way you run your company aside from the fact that you make excellent products.
This is very sad news. It’s a beautiful hobby, and it’s beyond nationalities, politics and other things. It’s about giving people joy and pleasure, reasons to bond with other people and have positive emotions. The Russian people did not want and do not want this war. What our government is doing has shocked us. We are for freedom, peace, and the possibility of choice. For a peaceful resolution of relations between countries. For friendship and understanding. I hope you will come back to our country with your games.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
I also hope we can come back to Russia with our games someday, Nik.
Overall I don’t want to buy your games anymore. I really disappointed with this situation and your decision
I think the russian people should suffer some. By allowing Putin to remain in power, they are consenting the the evil acts he is commiting. If they feel some pain from their country’s actions, then hopfully they will make change happen in their country. They aren’t the “poor people of russia” they are culpable people allowing a goverment to exist that commits evil acts.
Oh, I don’t want anyone to suffer, especially not through an invasion, but also not at the hands of an oppressive regime.
It’s not fair to call Russian people culpable. There are many that see the corruption, they try to fight it, and the most vocal get killed by said government.
Russia started on a path to democracy in 1991. After two short years, Yeltsin rewrote the constitution, strengthening the presidential power significantly. When Putin came into office, he continued to concentrate presidential power. Democracy morphed into “sovereign democracy.” In the current law, Putin can stay in office until 2036! Did the people “allow” this? No. But without a blood-filled uprising from the people or military coup, it’s hard to see anything changing.
Jamie – 100% applaud your actions here. Every small drop helps fill the bucket. The global outrage from every quarter keeps amplifying the message that the vast majority of humans on this planet want no quarter with putins evil invasion of Ukraine. The louder the voices the more chance the bully will retreat. Thank you.
Stonemaier Games has done the right thing. Even small gestures can have a big impact. Kudos.
Vladimir Putin is about as stupid as they come, as evidenced by his recent actions. Russians are good people, and he has taken them back 25 years for his vanity (not to mention the unimaginable suffering imposed on Ukraine).
https://theconversation.com/putins-claims-that-ukraine-is-committing-genocide-are-baseless-but-not-unprecedented-177511
❤
Thank you for your support!
I appreciate the initiative and desire to stand with Ukrainians and to saction Russia.
However, I believe the punishing of russian citizens for the terrible deeds of their “leader” is not the way.
I’m not sure how Stonemaier Games could punish the government of RU, but more meaningful support for UA would certainly make a greater difference. Perhaps redirecting some of the charity money to this cause or other kinds of donations.
This is just an opinion and will not affect the way I support Stonemaier Games.
I appreciate the feedback, and it certainly doesn’t feel good to stop working with our longstanding partners in Russia. From my perspective, this is the sacrifice required for economic sanctions to have an impact on a government that has chosen to invade another country with intent to annex and absorb that country.
Unfortunately, this will not affect the Russian government in any way. It does what it wants and will continue to do so. But it will affect board game lovers in a bad way. I hope you will change your point of view someday and will please ordinary people
You’re right that it’s a very small drop in the bucket, but our Russian localization partners pay taxes to Russia, and those taxes are used to fund Russian military operations. I hope we’ll have an opportunity to change our minds in the future if Russia stops the invasion.
awesome news! this will finally allow Ukraine to have own localizations in Ukrainian
Sorry, Jamey, to bring you down but, Putin do not play board games. And you know who plays?
Regular people, people, who hates war and hates Putin. We are
victims too. Victims of crushed economy and stolen elections.
WE DON’T STARTED THIS WAR!
And now, instead of bringing some light in our lives, you cut it off.
We have to unite, not to separate.
The man, who bought your games,
Belyukov Anton
I’m sorry, Anton, and I hope you can still find joy in the games you already have. I empathize with the people of Russia who don’t want this war.
Thank you Jamey for living the values you put forth for your company. Thank you for being willing to take a clear and public stand on this issue.
Nice one, Jamey. I also posted a similar sentiment to my KS backers (with the same link, incidentally), and my web comic Itchy Feet also features a tribute to Ukraine this week. I had a Ukrainian localization partner lined up, and if they had paid a down payment I would’ve refunded it and forgiven the debt, but to my relief they hadn’t paid me yet! So I’m with you. For most of this.
However…”we cannot provide any form of revenue for a government that invades another country.” I gotta push back on this a little bit. This is SUCH a broad statement in a very complex situation. The US has invaded countries, but presumably you pay your taxes. China may not have invaded, but is responsible for an ongoing, active genocide against the Uyghurs in their own country among many other crimes – you still print your games in China, like most of us publishers do. Surely there are other, more indirect ways in which you provide some form of revenue to terrible people doing terrible things.
I don’t know what the 100% right thing to do here is. And I completely agree with your sentiment and intentions. And I wonder if all this will truly accomplish is depriving some board game publishers the chance to make some board games. I doubt the publishers sympathize with Putin. And they’re about to get slammed by one of the biggest, most sudden and dramatic economic crashes in modern history. I mean, it’s unlikely these deals would’ve gone through anyway – I was in talks with two Russian localization partners and they both cut the deals short this week on their own. I just wonder if this statement is too broad. I want to believe we can still support regular, innocent, everyday people living under terrible governments. If not, how do we even function as an international community?
Mal: You’re right that there are many nuances to the world. This post is about Russia invading Ukraine, not about other issues (I’d recommend that you watch this video about WhatAbout-ism: https://youtu.be/RS82JNd0YzQ).
I’m not condemning your actions here, as I pointed out I agree, and I think it’s justified. But the line in your post isn’t, “we cannot provide any form of revenue for Russia invading Ukraine.” It’s not whataboutism to point out that saying “we cannot provide any form of revenue for a government that invades another country” is a sprawling statement, far more widely applicable than to this specific scenario of Russia v Ukraine.
But I take your point, and I applaud your actions.
I hear you, and that’s a valid point that we will consider in the future. Today is about Ukraine and Russia.
I don’t think your comparison to the whataboutism in that video is valid. The premise of the video is that just because someone doesn’t condemn or does not mention another example of a terrible entity, that does not mean one is supporting that entity, which I agree with. For example, just because I condemn Russia’s actions and not of China, one cannot accuse me of ‘supporting’ or ‘accepting’ China’s action.
In your case, you clearly stated that “we cannot provide any form of revenue for a government that invades another country”, and yet you are actively doing that for countries that have similar terrible policy (USA for invading, China for genocide).
Trent, today we’re talking about Russia invading Ukraine with intent to annex and absorb it. That’s it. We can have constructive discourse on other days about the many other issues plaguing the world, but that is not the topic of this post.
Thanks Jamey for acting for good!
Damn you guys are amazing. Love to you and to the Ukrainian people.
This is amazing. Little effects like this, Eurovision etc add up. What I would say is
This really scared me. How bad must it be when the high of the spy Agency is scared
https://youtu.be/o9A-u8EoWcI
I commend your actions, Jamey. May Ukraine survive.
As if i needed another reason to love Stonemaier Games.
Well done Jamey