Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation has demanded that Atomic Heart be banned from sale on Sony, Microsoft, and Valve platforms. This comes after the government decided to take action against Atomic Heart as a result of the project’s creators’ views on the current Russian invasion and other concerns. Due to Ukraine’s ongoing demand for the game to be banned, the game Atomic Heart continues to spark hard conversations.
The Russian-developed game Atomic Heart is being aimed for a sales ban by the Ukraine authorities once again. The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, has penned official letters to Sony, Microsoft, Xbox, Steam, and Valve, urging them to remove Atomic Heart from major retail platforms. Fedorov stated that supporting a game that he believes is being used as a tool for Russian digital propaganda is not in the best interests of the gaming industry.
Fedorov has expressed his serious concerns about Atomic Heart in an open letter suggesting that the profits generated from the game’s sales could fund Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine highlights that Mundfish’s collaboration with Russian institutions and facilities does not align with the current sanctions policy, which makes the matter even more problematic.
Additionally, Fedorov raises concerns regarding the shooter’s visuals, story, and setting, which he believes promote the communist regime and Soviet symbols. In light of all of this, Mykhailo Fedorov called on businesses to try to ban the game’s digital sales on Steam, the PlayStation Store, and the Xbox Store.
It remains to be seen how the companies will respond to the formal request by the Ukrainian Minister to ban the selling of Atomic Heart. Due to the involvement of government representatives, it is expected that the companies would reply to the request as soon as possible.
