According to “Izvestia”, in Russia, PlayStation 5 consoles, certified for the domestic market, namely Rostest, appeared on sale. You can buy PS5s on loads of sites like Ozon or Wildberries, and store reps claim that these are official shipments, not parallel imports.
A source close to a major player in the market told Izvestia that Sony doesn’t officially ship consoles to Russia, but one of the company’s distributor partners may.
The certification of the PlayStation 5 for Russia could continue without publicizing this fact. This is a new precedent for the market: usually we talk about gadgets released for the EAC, or devices in parallel import, that is European and Asian equipment with global software without Rostest certification.
The editor-in-chief of Ferra.ru Evgeny Kharitonov
In addition, Sony game keys have appeared for sale on several sites. Recent examples, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and Spider-Man, are sold by Buka. The keys are also intended for the Russian market.
The Playo.ru platform also sells PS Plus Essential codes for Russia.
Distribution of keys to partners is always the sole responsibility of Sony. It is you who determine how much and in what quantity a particular distributor will receive them.
As Izvestia wrote, some experts believe this is a sign of Sony’s gradual return to the Russian market. An example of the PS Store “stub pages” is also provided, showing current prices for games, although they cannot be purchased.
Ivan Ryzhaev, chief architect of CommuniGate Systems, notes that Sony will have to re-enter the market upon their return, as gamers have switched to purchasing games and subscriptions through other regions, where prices are much lower.
