by The Ukrainian government reportedly asked Valve, Microsoft and Sony to refrain from selling Atomic heart in their country; encourages digital retailers to consider “limiting distribution” in other countries as well.
Rotorbots charge the player as their Fat Boy narrowly misses via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
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Dev.ua first reported the statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Affairs, which was later cited by PCGamesN, as the Ukrainian government provided an English version of the statement.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Alex Bornyakov stated: “Regarding the situation with the release of the game Atomic heartwhich has Russian roots and romanticizes communist ideology and the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation will send an official letter to Sony, Microsoft and Valve requesting a ban on selling digital versions of this game in Ukraine.”
“We also call for limiting the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, potential data collection of users and potential use of money collected from game purchases to wage a war against Ukraine,” Bornyakov pleaded.
The player uses his “Shok” powers to zap a Pchela, and Lab Tech in the theater via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
“According to media reports, the game’s development was financed by Russian enterprises. Therefore, we ask all users worldwide to avoid this game,” the minister insisted. “We also want to emphasize that the game developers have not publicly condemned the Putin regime and the bloody war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine.”
The claims are not entirely without merit, although there are some caveats. A report from The Escapist Magazine breaks down allegations that may have inspired the Ukrainian government’s fears.
Residents of Chelomey Complex Enjoy Riverside Festivities via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
Allegations of Russian connection
The outlet reports that the claim for funding comes from the fact that developer Mundfish has GEM Capital as an investor. The venture capital investment fund (which specializes in video games) is said to have a founder with ties to the Russian state-owned oil and gas company Gazprom.
This may indicate that the Russian government may have some level of vested interest in the game’s success.
The player drives a car towards a fire and a Lab Tech drives right at them via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
Furthermore, Mundfish itself was founded and, for a significant period, headquartered in Moscow, as EuroGamer confidently claimed in 2018 following the game’s announcement.
However, it should be noted that the company moved its headquarters to Cyprus, Greece (also the same location as GEM Capital’s headquarters) in 2022.
Unlucky victims dangle from wires coming out of walls via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
User Data Claims
There are also allegations that the developer is providing user data to the Federal Security Service (FSB), apparently stemming from a report by Ain Capital in January this year.
According to the report, the Russian privacy policy warns Mundfish’s own store – which at the time of writing has a 404 error – that users could be given to Russian authorities and the FSB.
Under machine translation (via DeepL), the company’s policy in Russian territories warns “The processing and security of data in the company shall be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the law” and other Russian data laws. Despite this, the scope of the policy is stated to “respect the constitutional rights of citizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of other states.”
Machines maintain a field as a thick fog rolls in via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
Mundfish also stated that it retained user data in part to comply with actions and duties “imposed on the company by the legislation of the Russian Federation in accordance with federal laws.” Although it was emphasized that user data was not given to a third party or without consent, there were exceptions.
These included cases where data would be disclosed “at the request of authorized governmental bodies, legal processes,” provided specific lawful purposes were defined, with only the data required for that particular purpose along with data collection by Mundfish as specified.
The player draws his gun in a forest maintained by machines via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
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Notably, the English privacy policy does not mention Russia, but informs players that the company “may process data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation.”
A spokesperson for Mundfish has spoken to GamesRadar and denied the allegation of user data. “Our game and website do NOT collect information or data. The website’s privacy policy is outdated and incorrect, and should have been removed years ago. We have closed the store to assure our fans of the integrity of the studio and our products. We apologize for the confusion in this matter.”
Rotorbots charge the player as their Fat Boy narrowly misses via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
For Mundfish’s part the developer had previously taken up the allegations and speculation surrounding their political stances on January 16, and took to their official Twitter account to inform the public.
“Guys, we have taken note of the questions surrounding where we at Mundfish stand. We want to assure you that Mundfish is a developer and studio with a global team focused on an innovative game and is undeniably a peace organization against violence against people,” the statement began .
Mundfish refers to where they stand in the Ukraine-Russia conflict via Twitter
“We do not comment on politics or religion,” Mundfish continued. “Be safe; we are a global team focused on getting Atomic heart in the hands of gamers everywhere.”
Mundfish refers to where they stand in the Ukraine-Russia conflict via Twitter
“We do not, and will not, tolerate contributors or spammers with offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent or threatening language or content,” the developer concluded.
Mundfish condemns “contributors or spammers” who create hateful or threatening content when discussing the Ukraine-Russia conflict via Twitter
As for Ukrainian Minister Alex Bornyakov’s claims that the game “romanticizes” the Soviet Union, this assessment of the game’s message appears to come from a surface level related to the marketing material.
Set in an alternate timeline in the 1950s, Atomic heart depicts a story in which the USSR defeated the Nazis with advanced technology. Faced with the end, the Nazis responded by unleashing a deadly plague, its effects resulting in the deaths of millions of people worldwide.
The player prepares the gun and polymer glove against a Plush via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
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Faced with this staggering population loss, the world turned to the Soviet Union’s robotic creations to pick up the slack, thus propelling the nation to “world power” status.
Beneath its veneer of pop socialist realism, however, Atomic heart actually uses the Soviet Union and the concepts of communism to tell a story of greed, deception, pride and ambition gone wrong.
A Lab Tech shows the gruesome machinations beneath the human face via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
Several attempts to seize personal glory and power have proven to result in nothing more than the suffering of others and the loss of freedom.
Likewise, the only robots that don’t just blindly attack—namely, a fleet of maids—use their softer demeanor to trick the populace into taking solace in the endless stream of propaganda they constantly spout from their loudspeakers.
The setting also features residents under a “social rating” system similar to the real China’s social credit system. Some NPCs have even been demoted for being too “free-thinking” and disobeying their superiors.
Chelomey Complex celebrates the launch of new technology, with the streets decorated with balloons. A poster promoting the new THOUGHT device and a statue can also be seen via Atomic Heart (2023), Focus Entertainment
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