Lately, there have been a lot of controversies on what kind of political statement just buying a video game makes. Many just want to enjoy playing games, watching movies, reading books, and any other form of entertainment. The forces behind creating what entertains us however can have underlying agendas you may not know about or even care for. Many try to argue political ideals don’t matter in these situations. For those who do believe in it, we are going to break down the issues with Atomic Heart. A game made primarily by Russian developers. We will try to see what the current issues are. Here’s the entire Atomic Heart Russia controversy Explained.
A quick disclaimer that this is not a condemnation or support for Russia. If you support Ukraine and condemn Russia likely nothing said or explained will change your mind to get or not get this game. Keep in mind that Russia has a tight grip over all its forms of media so it’s either safe to assume the government will extract money out of anything made by a Russian company. This also means even if the game is not in any way supporting the Russian government or the invasion of Ukraine they likely have little control over how much of their financial compensation can go to the government.
( Related: Atomic Hearts: System Requirements for PC – Full Details )
The Atomic Heart Controversy
First let’s clear up exactly what the controversy is. Plain and simple, Mundfish, the creators and developing company of Atomic Heart are primarily Russian. Russia invaded and attacked the country of Ukraine in February 2022 and the war still continues now. Ironically Atomic Heart will be coming out almost a year to the day the invasion began. This is most likely a horribly ironic coincidence considering Atomic Heat was originally set to release around November 2022.
Things are lining up against Atomic Heart and Mundfish and the connections to Russia can not be ignored by some. Atomic Hearts CEO and founder both worked for large Russian media conglomerates and national banks before founding the company in 2017. Although many game companies start out this way all over the world, this has led to speculation that the game was purposefully created and funded by the Russian government as a propaganda piece.
It should be noted that just because something was made by Russians does not mean it is pro-Russian. Keep in mind that some have compared the Invasion of Ukraine to the American Invasion of the Middle East. While perhaps the ‘reasoning’ is different, the effect is still mostly the same. There will always be cities, lives, and communities ruined forever by an invading force.
Is Russia Funding Atomic Heart?
This can be a complicated idea. In a literal sense, yes, of course, it is. Mundfish is a Russian company. Naturally, all of their financial backing and resources will come from Russia first and foremost. Russia is in a current state of upheaval where most of its entertainment and news sourcing is controlled mainly but the government itself.
Mundfish has taken to Twitter to make a vague but very straightforward statement which you can read at this link. Your faith in this vague tweet that neither promotes nor outright condemns Russia’s invasion depends on a few things. How much do you believe being a public company outwardly speaking against your totalitarian government that can affect you? Secondly, how much do you think that sacrifice is worth it?
Mundfish can be seen as cowards or complacent in Russia’s regime. Just please keep in mind that Russia is notorious for locking up those too outspoken against their government.
Is The Game Propaganda?
It could be worth noting that since the invasion of Ukraine, Mundfish has taken efforts to move more of its developers and workers out of Russia and to Cyprus, a middle eastern country quite out of the way of Russia. They seem to be trying to distance themselves from Russia the best they can. While also being open enough without encouraging the wrath of the government that could still subjugate them.
The main argument is that the game was made directly by the government as propaganda. This might actually be the most unbelievable part of the controversy, however. The game takes place in an alternate reality where Soviet Russia became an advanced utopia. How much of that concept will promote in this alternate USSR remains to be seen. However, given Russian President Putin’s extreme dislike and resentment of the communist Soviet Union, it seems unlikely that the current Russian government would make a pro-Soviet Union game.
The likely issue with Atomic Heart is that it was made by former employees of the very totalitarian Russian industry. Unforeseen circumstances have caused a game that has been in development for 6 years to be caught in the crossfire of a war the developers have absolutely nothing to do with.
At the end of everything, however, it is up to you to decide if the game is really a pro-Russian statement of its current government or its people. Because of Russia’s tight control of its country’s media, many can not tell if even half of the population is even remotely in support of the Ukrania invasion. There have also been massive protests against the war in Russia throughout the past year.
For more games that cause controversy try The Most Controversial Games of All Time (2023). Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook Page for more updates, news, guides, and explanations of your favorite video games.
