Atomic Heart was released for PC and Consoles a while ago, on February 21st, 2023. The game has highly positive reviews, as it looks fantastic. The game features the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to serious controversies.
Mundfish, the game developer, and the investors deny the ties to the Russian Government. Meanwhile, Russian media has described Mundfish as a Russian developer, which won’t let the controversy settle down anytime soon.
Right after the game was released, Ukrainian politicians noticed the controversies regarding the game, which led to the ban of digital sales of Atomic Heart in the country. But they don’t want to stop there, as their goal is to ban Atomic Heart worldwide.
To achieve that, the Vice Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, has sent official letters to Sony, Microsoft, and Valve asking them to ban Atomic Heart from all major storefronts.
The Government wants to remove the game from Steam, Microsft Store, and the PlayStation Store. Ukraine Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Alexander Bornyakov, right after the release of the game, said:
“We also call for limiting the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, the potential collection of user data information and the possibility of transferring it to third parties in Russia, as well as the potential use of money raised from purchases of the game to wage war against Ukraine.”
Now the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine tweeted his official request and mentioned Sony, PlayStation, Microsoft, Xbox, Valve, and Steam. He listed the severe concerns in the post. His main problem is the potential risk that money raised from the game purchases will be used to fund the war against Ukraine.
Official requests to ban selling Atomic Heart game. I do believe neither of these businesses support bloody regime, murders or romanticizing communism. Brand new level of Russian digital propaganda – using gaming industry.@Sony @PlayStation @Microsoft @Xbox @valvesoftware @Steam pic.twitter.com/DpaNO57bZC
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 3, 2023
The tweet will increase the controversy even more as many support and criticize it. For now, it is unclear whether the game will be banned worldwide.
Fedorov thinks Russia is using the gaming industry for a new level of digital propaganda, which might lead to further casualties. So, to prevent that, he needs the support of the big corporations he mentioned in the post.
The outcome is unclear for now, but we might get to know more about it soon. Aside from that, what do you think of this Atomic Heart potentially getting banned? have you played the game yet? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
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[News Reporter]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree, while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over a year because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.
