Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation has asked gaming giants Sony, Microsoft, and Valve to ban the video game Atomic Heart. The ministry is also imploring gamers to avoid the game, which it claims portrays Soviet imagery and propaganda.
The Ukrainian ministry released a statement “regarding the situation with the release of the video game Atomic Heart, which has Russian roots and romanticizes communist ideology and the Soviet Union,” according to a report by TechRaptor.
“The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine will send an official letter to Sony, Microsoft, and Valve requesting a ban on selling digital versions of this game in Ukraine,” read the statement, signed by Deputy Minister Alex Bornyakov.
In addition to that, the ministry is also asking for gamers worldwide to avoid playing the game.
“We also urge limiting the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, potential data collection of users, and the potential use of money raised from game purchases to conduct a war against Ukraine,” the statement read.
Bornyakov went on to say that the game itself has Russian ties.
“According to media reports, the game’s development was funded by Russian enterprises and banks sanctioned and have systemic importance to the Russian government,” the deputy minister said.
“Therefore, we call for all users worldwide to avoid this game. We also want to emphasize that the game developers have not publicly condemned the Putin regime and the bloody war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine,” Bornyakov added.
Atomic Heart is a best-selling video game that features “one of the most visually stunning worlds in modern video games, and some truly enjoyable core gameplay,” according to a review posted on Windows Central.
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