The importer of the Nintendo Switch 2 pointed out that it was impossible to link the Russian Federation number to GameChat

Russian numbers cannot be linked to the GameChat function in the Nintendo Switch 2 console. The information was confirmed to Izvestia by Yasha Haddazi, CEO of Achivka, Russia's largest importer and distributor of video games and consoles, on May 28.

"The restriction is not related to sanctions. It's just that Nintendo cannot comply with the requirements of Russian legislation related to restrictions on calls in instant messengers and IP telephony applications," he said.

In turn, Yaroslav Meshalkin, managing partner of the Heads'made digital communications agency, said that despite the formal unavailability of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the digital eShop store in Russia, interest in the Japanese corporation's products among Russian gamers remains consistently high. According to him, the reason lies not only in the uniqueness of the content, but also in the special cultural status of the Nintendo brand.

"Gamers continue to register accounts in other countries, most often in Poland, Turkey or Argentina, in order to maintain access to the game library and digital purchases. The risks of blocking such accounts today are more theoretical: Nintendo has traditionally been less aggressive in its sanctions policy compared to Sony or Microsoft. However, in the case of mass use of gray payment schemes or account trading, individual measures such as restricting access to the eShop are quite possible," he added.

Speaking about the reasons why Russian users go to considerable lengths to access Nintendo content, he clarified that they are related to nostalgia, fan loyalty and the desire to play unique titles that have no analogues on other platforms.

Everything is off: Russians won't get access to five features of the Nintendo Switch 2

What limitations will buyers face in the work of the new product?

Earlier, on May 19, it was reported that buyers of the Nintendo Switch 2 in Russia will face limitations in the capabilities of their gadgets — they will be deprived of legal access to the new console services. As Izvestia learned, due to the limitations of Nintendo's work in the Russian Federation, gamers will be left without a number of useful features for which it is worth buying a novelty. Among them are the Nintendo eShop marketplace for the purchase of video games in digital format, voice GameChat and other services.