Atomic Heart developer Mundfish has been under scrutiny over its recent statements made on Twitter with regard to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The post the company made has been regarded as vague by some of its followers and fellow developers and could cause further difficulty with the upcoming release of Atomic Heart.
Atomic Heart is a first-person shooter set in an alternate 1950s USSR and is expected to release on February 21st. The game and its promotional materials had a positive reception until now.
After prompts from its followers asking for a statement with regard to the war in Ukraine, Mundfish made a statement on January 16th. Mundfish's followers wished to know the developer's stance as the company originates from Russia with headquarters in Cyprus. In its post, the developer has taken a general anti-war stance stating it's an "undeniably a pro-peace organization against violence against people." Mundfish also announced it will not comment on politics or religion and that its main focus is on delivering Atomic Heart to its fans globally. Lastly, the developer stated it doesn't condone verbal abuse in the form of "offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent, or threatening language or content."
The post has been received with mixed emotions, among them was Sergey Mohov, a developer at Remedy Entertainment. Mohov wanted Mundfish to specify which people it doesn't condone violence against. He also accused the developer of calling people "spammers" who asked whether the company took money from the Russian government. Some people also accused Mundfish of displaying USSR symbols at their recent press event, however, the video and images used as evidence show no such symbols on display. Underneath Mundfish's statement, the comments are divided among those who demand further clarification from the developer, shaming it for not taking sides. There are also those who focus on the game and use the comments to ask for technical clarifications on Atomic Heart's performance capabilities or inquire about the release of further content.
The truth about Mundfish and its position will likely not be known. It could be the situation of a Russian company being pressured by its country to not take a clear stance, it could be the case of the developer not daring to take a clear stance in fear of the truth drawing further backlash, or it can be exactly what the statement says, that Mundfish wishes to concentrate on Atomic Heart and wishes for peace overall. Fans will have to come to their own conclusion.
Atomic Heart releases on February 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesRadar, ResetEra