Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation has said it will ask Valve, Microsoft and Sony to stop selling Atomic Heart. (opens in new tab) It also urges them to “restrict” distribution in other countries, as “the funds obtained from purchasing the game may be used to wage war against Ukraine.”
Atomic Heart was developed by Mundfish, a Russian studio with alleged ties to the Russian government. (opens in new tab)This is a complex issue, but in simple terms, Mundfish is by a company distributed by VKPlay, which was founded by the former deputy head of Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom and is effectively controlled by Gazprom. that it is supported.
There are other less specific connections and allegations, but ultimately, as Joshua Wolens explained in his summary of the dispute, (opens in new tab)“It seems unlikely that the money that Mundfisch and his investors make from selling Atomic Heart will end up in the pockets of the Russian state. Atomic Heart is also full of Soviet kitsch, and the protagonist is a literal KGB agent.” Yes, it doesn’t work for everyone, but Rich Stanton said in our review. (opens in new tab) The game criticizes Russian exceptionalism
Ukraine’s decision to demand a halt to Atomic Heart sales was first reported by Dev.ua (opens in new tab) (Google Translation (opens in new tab)), confirmed today in an English-language statement sent to PC Gamer.
“The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine will send an official letter to Sony, Microsoft and Valve requesting a ban on the sale of the digital version of this game in Ukraine,” said Alex Bornyakov, Deputy of Digital Transformation. “Also, due to the toxicity of this game, the possibility of data collection of users, and the possibility of using the funds obtained from the purchase of the game for the war against Ukraine, it is important to consider this in other countries. We strongly urge you to limit the distribution of games.
“According to media reports, the development of the game is funded by Russian companies and banks, is licensed by the Russian government, and is of systemic importance. Therefore, we advise all users worldwide to avoid this game. I would also like to emphasize that game developers have not done so, openly condemning the Putin regime and the bloody war Russia has waged against Ukraine.”
That’s right. Mundfish describes itself as a “peace-promoting organization against violence against the people”, but has not spoken out against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Russia isn’t particularly famous for tolerating dissent, and it’s not hard to imagine that criticism of the regime could lead to war, even if Mundfish doesn’t actually support war. Loss of funds and dissolution of the company.
Guys, we focused on your question about where we stand at Mundfish. Mundfish is a developer and studio with a global team focused on innovative games, and is definitely a peace-promoting organization against violence against people.January 16, 2023
Borniakov said the ministry was prompted to seek the ban by “a public request from the Ukrainian gaming community” and will seek a ban on other Russian-made games if they are found to have equivalent ties to the Russian government. said it can.
“If similar facts are observed in relation to other games, we will respond to this situation,” said Bolniakov.
Atomic Heart received mostly positive reviews from critics, with 78% of reviews calling it “beautiful, flawed, and very strange Soviet Westworld”. (opens in new tab)— but has also been heavily criticized on many issues beyond the possible support of the Russian government. The game is based on Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the pro-Western Batkivshchina party in Ukraine. However, some say the hairstyle is common throughout Central Europe and not unique to Tymoshenko.
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In January, Mundfish also denied collecting data for the Russian government. The allegation comes after the discovery of a clause in the digital store’s terms of service that said the user’s data could be collected and submitted to Russian state authorities, such as tax and tax authorities. The KGB’s successor, the Federal Security Service (FSB).mundfish said game radar (opens in new tab) However, the data cited in the report is “outdated and incorrect” and neither the website nor the game actually collect user data.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation has not revealed when it will stop selling Atomic Heart in Ukraine. So far there have been no public comments on the request from Valve, Sony or Microsoft, and he has reached out to all three for details. I will update if I get a reply.
