Ukraine wants atomic heart banned and will send an official request to Sony, Microsoft and Valve to remove the game from their stores. The country wants its distribution to be limited because the game’s developer, Mundfish, is believed to have ties to Russian state energy company Gazprom. Additionally, when asked, the developer hasn’t openly spoken out against the Ukraine invasion, leading many to believe that Mundfish supports it or is ambivalent about it.
Ukraine seeks ban on Atomic Heart as game faces multiple controversies
Atomic Heart has flirted with controversy since its announcement in 2018 (mostly accusations that it was vaporware). However, calls for a ban only poured in shortly before its release.
Developer Mundfish reportedly received funding from Gazprom and state-owned and pro-Russian companies. Although officially based in Cyprus, the development team is said to be predominantly Russian.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Alexander Bornyakov made this statement to Dev.UA (translation via GaGadget:
“We also request that the distribution of this game in other countries be limited due to its toxicity, the possible collection of user data and the possibility of transferring it to third parties in Russia, as well as the potential use of money collected from in-game purchases. waging war on Ukraine.
That’s not the only criticism Atomic Heart faces. Now that it’s been released, players have noticed a character that appears to be based on a former Ukrainian prime minister. Additionally, racist imagery has been found among cartoons played in the game’s save rooms.