Nintendo delays ‘Advance Wars’ remake amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now affecting game launches. Nintendo has delayed the debut of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp beyond its original April 8th target in light of “recent world events” — that is, the war. The company didn’t yet have a new release date and asked would-be players to “stay tuned.”
We’ve asked Nintendo if it can elaborate on the decision, but it’s not difficult to see potential reasons. The Advance Wars remake, like its predecessors, is a turn-based military strategy game where you capture cities and otherwise engage in all-out (if kid-friendly) warfare. Nintendo might not want to be seen as glamorizing war for kids at a time when the invasion of Ukraine has led to very real suffering.
The move follows Nintendo’s decision to halt digital sales in Russia. Game publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two have also backed out of the Russian market.
The delay likely won’t deliver a significant blow to the Switch. Nintendo still has a healthy roster of games lined up for 2022, including Kirby and the Forgotten Land (March 25th) as well as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later in the year. It does, however, hint at the possibility of more developers re-timing the launches of military-themed games out of sensitivity to the Ukraine conflict and its victims.
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