Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Pulled From Russian PlayStation Store

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC has been taken off from PlayStation Store in Russia. The preorders for the game are no longer open. As discovered by the Russian video game website DTF, the transactions are no longer going through, and those who had already paid for the pre-order have been refunded. The decision to remove Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores from the store in Russia came at a time when the fans of the series were bracing themselves for the release of the expansion in a few days.

It has surprised everyone as neither Sony nor the developers made any official announcement regarding the decision. And nobody is sure whether it was Sony who decided to remove the expansion from the Russian store. However, it is heavily insinuated that Sony made the decision. As it ultimately owns both the publisher and developer of Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.

The decision to take Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores from the PlayStation Store in Russia comes in the backdrop of ever-increasing sanctions on Russia. But the sanctions have been in place since last year when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. And despite the sanctions, PlayStation Studios had been advertising their DLC’s release in Russia. So many have speculated that sanctions can’t be the only reason behind the removal.

Moreover, the main game, Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Call of the Mountain PSVR2 are still available on the Russian version of the PlayStation Store, which raises more questions about the nature of this decision. Russian fans were also left disappointed by this step. More so because the DLC is merely two days away from release, and they had been eagerly waiting for it.

But, as is typical with the Russian gaming community, they have already found ways around this restriction. As later found by the ever-adapting Russian gamers, this restriction can be bypassed by buying the game on Turkish PlayStation Store. The same is possible if you buy the game in any European version of the PlayStation Store. As all the add-ons bought, there work with the game purchased in Russia.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is an upcoming DLC for Horizon Forbidden West. It will take Aloy on new adventures with a multitude of new weapons, machines, and maps. It is set to be released on April 19, and unlike the main game, it will only be released for the PlayStation 5.