The Ukrainian government has made good on its promise to formally request an Atomic Heart ban from major platform holders including Sony. Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has now published the official letter addressed to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan.
Why Ukraine is requesting an Atomic Heart ban
Atomic Heart is developed by Russian studio Mundfish that apparently has ties to Vladimir Putin’s regime, which has been under international scrutiny for the past year over the war in Ukraine. The game’s content has also been criticized for veiled racism as well as references to Ukrainian politicians.
Part of Fedorov’s letter reads (verbatim):
I believe Sony Interactive Entertainment doesn’t want to be considered as a platform that supports communism, even in such futuristic execution. History of Soviet Russia and its imperialistic infringements towards other independent countries led to murder of hundreds of thousands of civil people. Not only now in Ukraine but also in Moldova and Georgia.
Quite a rhetorical question, whether it is worth to promote symbols that covered with blood.
Fedorov has sent similar letters to Sony president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, Valve’s Gabe Newell, and Microsoft’s Brad Smith.
Neither of the aforementioned companies have responded to calls for an Atomic Heart ban yet.
