After the Ukrainian government made it clear that it wants Atomic Heart, the latest FPS game for PC Game Pass, which has been banned from sale on all platforms including Steam, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister shared letters sent to the video game industry, including one to Valve CEO Gabe Newell.
Atomic Heart’s letter was shared by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after the country’s government announced it would write a letter to Valve/Steam, Xbox and PlayStation last month. Fedorov posted four letters in total, but we’ll refer to the one addressed specifically to Valve CEO Gabe Newell.
“We have serious concerns regarding the game Atomic Heart, which was released via the Steam platform on February 21, 2023. Therefore, with this letter, I would like to contact you with the following,” Fedorov’s letter to Newell reads. and Valve.
“As Mundfish has offices and management in Russia, there is a potential risk that money from game purchases will be transferred to Russia’s budget, and thus be used to fund the war against Ukraine,” the company said. letter. “Another point I must stress is that working with Russian entities is not in line with the sanctions policy in free democratic countries.
“I think Valve doesn’t want to be seen as a platform that supports communism, even in such a futuristic execution,” Fedorov continues. “Now more than ever, leaders and corporations around the world should unite to protest the Russian invasion and stop funding the war in any way possible, including the news. Hope to see you on the side of the light.” Fyodorov’s letter ends
– Game News has already reached out to Atomic Heart developer Mundfish and will update this story with further comments. You can learn everything there is to know about the game in our Atomic Heart review.
Developer Mundfish has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after it was alleged that the Russian government would benefit financially from the release of Atomic Heart. This is because among the investors involved in funding Mundfish are GEM Capital, an investment fund whose founder has ties to Gazprom and VTB Bank, both majority-owned by the Russian state.
Mundfish is also partnering with VK (formerly Mail.RU) for the Russian release of Atomic Heart, avoiding sanctions on Steam: VK is also majority-owned by the Russian state through Gazprombank, and Mundfish’s CEO is a former director . .RU. .
With Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, many gamers are now choosing to boycott the game in protest and donate money to organizations such as the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, the International Rescue Committee and the British Red Cross.