Euro Truck Simulator 2 is one of the best games you can play using a steering wheel controller, and everything you need to know about it is in the name. It sends you all across Europe as a trucker, delivering along routes that circle the continent. Previous expansions have added Swedish events and taken drivers beyond the Baltic Sea toward Russia — but the game won’t be going farther east anytime soon, if ever.
Developer SCS Software has indefinitely delayed the game’s Heart of Russia DLC due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Czech gaming site Vortex spoke with Pavel Sebor, who founded the studio. “It was impossible to continue on the set course to continue communicating about the beauty of Russia,” Sebor stated (translated via ResetEra user TheAbsolution). Not only is the DLC itself suspended, but its name may change if it ever sees the light of day again. “We might be provoking or hurting people [with the Russian name],” Sebor continued. “Whether it’s the landscape, the nation, or the politics, you can’t separate it at this point.”
It’s a completely understandable delay. In lieu of releasing the DLC, SCS has put out a Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack. It costs a single dollar in local currency, and all proceeds will “go to people in need.” Meanwhile, the studio is working on additional expansions for the future. “It will be a significant drop in revenue for us this year because one big DLC will be missing,” Sebor concluded. “[But] we’ve been working on another DLC for a long time now, which started to be born a year ago. The next one for 2024 is also in pre-production.” Karma seems to be SCS’ side with those future additions.
