Atomic Heart developer Mundfish’s website is down today following a call for the game to be pulled from sale by Oleksandr Borniakov, the deputy minister of digital transformation, yesterday. The developer has yet to issue a statement on the matter.
Initially reported by dev.ua, then covered in English by Gagadget, Borniakov stated yesterday, “We also call for limiting the distribution of this game in other countries due to its toxicity, potential collection of user data and the possibility of transferring it to third parties in Russia, as well as the potential use of money raised from game purchases to wage war against Ukraine.” Borniakov is sending an official letter to Sony, Valve, and Microsoft asking to ban the sale of Atomic Heart in Ukraine. He also pointed out to western players that the fact that Mundfish hasn’t commented on any of the controversies surrounding the game is suspicious and encouraged them to ignore the game entirely.
Related: Does Atomic Heart have multiple endings?
This translation appears to be based on Google Translate, which we know to be reliable based on real-life experience, but it does have trouble with sentence structure, so take the above with a pinch of salt.
When trying to access Mundfish’s website today, even at the time of writing, the site is down. You can’t get onto it to view any promotional material or anything else. This could be due to a large number of visitors trying to access it or something else we’re unaware of. The last post from the developer on Twitter came yesterday, notifying fans that the Atomic Heart soundtrack is now available. Given that the developer has failed to comment on the situation, or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many people are now seeing it in a much less flattering light, one that leans into the controversial rumors surrounding Atomic Heart’s development.
Atomic Heart is a game that’s been dogged by controversy in the lead-up to its launch. There have been reports questioning where the game’s website sends user data and content creators pointing out how the game received a large amount of funding from a major Russian corporation. Mundfish has failed to comment on any accusations or rumors, and now things seem to have come to a head.
