Ukraine government calls on Microsoft, Sony and Valve to ban ‘Atomic Heart’
The Ministry Of Digital Transformation Of Ukraine has called for the ban of first-person shooter Atomic Heart, alleging that its profits may be used to “wage war” against Ukraine.
Speaking to dev.ua (via Game World Observer), deputy minister Alex Bornyakov announced that the Digital Ministry will be issuing letters to Valve, Sony and Microsoft to request they halt sales of the game in Ukraine.
“We also call to limit the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, the potential collection of user data information and the possibility of their transfer to third parties in Russia, as well as the potential use of money raised from game purchases to wage war against Ukraine,” added Bornyakov.
Explaining the move, Bornyakov cites claims that Atomic Heart was funded by sanctioned Russian organisations – though these allegations remain to be proven. The minister also referenced a now-removed privacy statement on Mundfish’s website that claimed the studio passed on user data to Russian state authorities, including the Federal Security Service.
“Therefore, we urge all users to ignore this game,” continued Bornyakov. “We also want to emphasize for the Western audience that the developers of the game did not come out with a public statement condemning the Putin regime and the bloody war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine.”
While Mundfish claimed its privacy statement was “outdated and wrong,” it is yet to address concerns regarding the funding of Atomic Heart. Last month, the studio announced that it was “pro-peace” but declined to address issues of “politics or religion”.
NME gave Atomic Heart three stars out of five in our review, praising the game’s combat but taking issue with a “half-baked” open world and “irritating” protagonist.
Last week, Atomic Heart composer Mick Gordon announced that he was donating his fee from the game to Red Cross Australia’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
First appear at Ukraine government calls on Microsoft, Sony and Valve to ban ‘Atomic Heart’
