With the release of Atomic Heart, many have expressed doubts about its developer's potential connections with the Russian government and the game's portrayal of Soviet imagery and propaganda.
It's not surprising that the topic is of particular sensitivity to the Ukrainian people, considering that the country is currently resisting a brutal invasion by the Russian federation.
Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation released a statement signed by Deputy Minister Alex Bornyakov initially published by the local website dev.ua. TechRaptor reached out to the ministry which confirmed the authenticity of the statement, of which they also sent an official version in English.
The ministry will send a letter to Microsoft, Sony, and Valve, which currently distribute Atomic Heart, asking for the sale of digital versions of the game to be banned in Ukraine. On top of that, they call for gamers worldwide to avoid the game.
You can read the statement in full below, signed by Alex Bornyakov, the Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and Head of the Diia City project.
"Regarding the situation with the release of the game Atomic Heart, which has russian roots and romanticizes communist ideology and the Soviet Union.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine will send an official letter to Sony, Microsoft, and Valve requesting a ban on selling digital versions of this game in Ukraine.
We also urge limiting the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, potential data collection of users, and the potential use of money raised from game purchases to conduct a war against Ukraine.
According to media reports, the game's development was funded by Russian enterprises and banks sanctioned and have systemic importance to the Russian government. Therefore, we call for all users worldwide to avoid this game. 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"
Atomic Heart is currently available for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. TechRaptor intends to reach out to Valve, Microsoft, and Sony, asking how they will respond to Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation's request.
