Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won't be sold on PS Store in Russia

Sony has decided not to sell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare digitally on its PlayStation Store in Russia, though the game will still be available on other platforms in the country.

Eurogamer managed to confirm the news after a tweet from the Call of Duty Russia official account first announced it earlier today. The statement in English provided to Eurogamer is as follows:

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a fictional game that has been thoughtfully created to entertain fans and tell a compelling narrative. Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided not to sell Modern Warfare on the PlayStation Store in Russia at this time. We look forward to launching Modern Warfare digitally in Russia on 25 October on PC via Battle.net and on console via Xbox."

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony confirmed the decision but provided no other details:

"Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided not to sell Modern Warfare on the PlayStation Store in Russia at this time," the statement reads. "We apologize for the inconvenience."

Activision's statement with its mention that the game is fictional may indicate the reason behind Sony's reluctance. Modern Warfare's story campaign centers around a rebel force battling Russian occupation in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Urzikstan. Preview events have depicted several encounters with Russian soldiers, including one where a soldier murders a young girl's father, and she in turn kills the soldier.

This isn't the first time a Call of Duty game has been subject to extra scrutiny in Russia. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 saw its controversial "No Russian" level that asks the player to participate in a massacre of civilians at an airport removed in the Russian release. Though reports at the time indicated the game had entirely been banned in the country, it was released as planned -- albeit on PC only.