Kazakhstan’s three-year standoff with Sony over PlayStation Store access

Tengrinews.kz – For the third year in a row, Kazakhstan has been unable to reach an agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment on restoring access to the PlayStation Store. The corporation has been ignoring official letters from the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry.

What happened

Kazakhstan has been trying for three years to negotiate the return of access to the PlayStation Store, Sony’s digital platform for purchasing games. Despite numerous efforts, Sony has not responded to the official communications from Kazakhstan’s Digital Ministry.

Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been involved in the matter, but Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to ignore all appeals from Kazakhstan.

In an official reply to Tengrinews.kz, the Ministry of Digital Development confirmed that efforts to contact Sony are ongoing. Letters were sent even through diplomatic channels, involving the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan — but no response has been received.

“In coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, work to establish contact with Sony Interactive Entertainment continues. Official letters have been sent via diplomatic channels in Japan and the USA, and negotiations are ongoing with the Japanese Embassy in Kazakhstan. To date, the company has not provided an official response. The issue remains under review, and efforts are ongoing,” the Ministry stated.

The core of the problem

Kazakhstani gamers have had no access to PlayStation Store for three years, ever since Sony halted operations in Russia on March 10, 2022, due to sanctions. Users in Kazakhstan were automatically affected by the regional block, even though PlayStation consoles were officially sold in the country.

Previously, when registering on PlayStation Network, users could only choose Russia or Ukraine as a region — Kazakhstan was not available, and local bank cards couldn’t be linked. As a result, most Kazakhstani players registered under the Russian region and made payments through Russian digital services.

After sanctions were imposed on Russia, these accounts and subscriptions were deactivated, leaving around 50,000 Kazakhstani PlayStation users without access to digital game purchases.

How Digital Ministers Promised 'Not to Give Up'

Since access to the PlayStation Store was shut down, journalists have repeatedly asked officials what would happen next and when the service would return. But the response has always been the same: "We’re working on it, we’ve sent letters."

In that time, several ministers have come and gone at the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI): the story began under Bagdat Musin (who stepped down in April 2024) and continues under Zhaslan Madiev.

Here is a timeline of promises made by the ministers (and their deputies):

1. March 14, 2023 – Minister Bagdat Musin stated that the Kazakh side had not yet received a response from Sony.

2. November 10, 2023 – Deputy Minister Askhat Orazbek said: "At the moment, Sony Corporation has no plans to restore access to PlayStation accounts in our region."

3. November 2023 – Media reported that the MDDIAI had sent letters to Sony’s office in California, requesting the restoration of access to the PlayStation Network and the ability to make payments with Kazakh bank cards. No reply was received — the request was forwarded to Sony’s Japan office. Kazakhstan’s embassy in Japan was then involved in the negotiations.

4. December 23, 2023 – The MDDIAI reported that Kazakhstan’s embassy in Japan had attempted to negotiate with Sony representatives. They responded verbally: due to the current situation, Sony could not provide a clear answer.

5. June 20, 2024 – Minister Zhaslan Madiev said that during a future meeting with Sony representatives, he would once again raise the issue of restoring the PlayStation Store in Kazakhstan, adding: “Hope dies last.”

6. November 26, 2024 – Madiev told journalists that Sony refuses to restore Kazakhstan’s access to the PlayStation Store because it fears that Russian and other sanctioned users might create Kazakhstani accounts to bypass restrictions.

7. May 30, 2025 – The head of the MDDIAI once again repeated the line about letters being sent to Sony, and ended his comment with: "We never give up."