Atomic Heart has been launched, but apparently, its release will not be so smooth. International policy complications may impact Mundifish’s future financial results. Just a few hours after the launch, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Affairs announced he will request a ban on sales of the action game.
Ukraine wants to ban Atomic Heart sales
In a statement, it was reported that authorities in Ukraine will try to stop the game’s distribution. Not only in Ukraine, but perhaps in more countries. These measures need approval from Sony, Microsoft, and Steam. They seem to be positive in this regard.
As per the minister, the Russian invasion should have been enough for the public to ignore the game. Also, Mundifish’s former location in Moscow and the allowing of user data transfers would also prove the studio’s bad intentions. Moreover, Ukraine’s authority states that the studio’s current HQ in Chipre is fake. The goal was to “cover” a project funded by Russia. They state that the revenue from the game would be used to fund the military operations in Ukraine.
Worth noting, that one week ahead of the launch, Mundfish prepared itself for possible accusations and denied certain allegations. The Music composer, Mick Gordon, also revealed that he intends to donate his gains to Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
To those unaware, Atomic Heart is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC. The game scored 71 on Metacritic, which is not the most impressive. But we need to consider it’s from a newcomer studio, then it’s a good score. The game received 19 positive reviews, 13 mixed, and 1 bad review. Users are praising it for the design and the action. However, the bad reviews cite performance issues, linear adventure, and other limitations.
We are curious to see how the game will perform, and if the ban will really take place.
