After the Ukrainian government made it clear it wanted Atomic Heart, the newest FPS game to come to PC Game Pass, banned from sale on all platforms including Steam, the country’s Vice Prime Minister has shared its letters sent out to the game industry, including one to Valve CEO Gabe Newell.
The Atomic Heart letter has been shared by Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after the country’s government said it was going to pen a letter to Valve/Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation last month. Fedorov has published four letters in total, but we’ll be referring to the one specifically addressed to Valve CEO Gabe Newell.
“We have serious concerns regarding the game Atomic Heart, launched via the Steam platform on February 21, 2023. So, with this letter I would like to approach you with the following,” Fedorov’s letter to Newell and Valve reads.
“As Mundfish has Russian management and offices, there is a potential risk that money raised from the purchases of the game will be transferred to Russia’s budget, so it will be used to fund the war against Ukraine,” the letter reads. “Another point I have to highlight is that working with Russian entities is not in line with sanctions policy within free democratic countries.
“I believe Valve doesn’t want to be considered a platform that supports communism, even in such futuristic execution,” Fedorov continues. “Now more than ever leaders and businesses around the world should be united to protest the Russian invasion and stop financing war in all possible ways, informational as well. Hope to see you on the light side.” Fedorov’s letter ends.
PCGamesN has already contacted Atomic Heart’s developer, Mundfish, and will update this story with any further comments. You can learn all there is to know about the game in our Atomic Heart review.
Developer Mundfish has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after it was alleged that the Russian government stands to gain financially from the release of Atomic Heart. This is due to the fact that investors involved in the financing of Mundfish include GEM Capital, an investment fund whose founder has ties to Gazprom and VTB Bank, both of which are majority-owned by the Russian state.
Mundfish is also partnering with VK (formerly Mail.RU) for the Russian release of Atomic Heart, evading sanctions on Steam – VK is also majority-owned by the Russian state through Gazprombank, and Mundfish’s CEO is a former Creative Director at Mail.RU.
With Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, many players are now choosing to boycott the game in protest and donate money to organisations like The Ukraine Crisis Appeal, International Rescue Committee, and the British Red Cross.
