Atomic Heart’s “sublime utopian world” was accused of glorifying the USSR
‘Atomic Heart’, a video game set in an alternate 1950s Soviet Union, topped the charts on the Steam digital sales platform upon its release on Tuesday. The title briefly held the number one spot despite not being available to Russian users of the service.
Developed by the Cyprus-based studio Mundfish, ‘Atomic Heart’ managed to briefly dethrone ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ as the top-selling title on Steam, which is the biggest digital distribution platform for PC gaming. The new release soon slipped to a still-formidable second place in the charts, yielding to the overwhelming popularity of the Harry Potter franchise.
‘Atomic Heart’ is a first-person shooter that puts the player in the shoes of a KGB agent “in a mad and sublime utopian world” of an alternate history USSR, shown as a technological wonder of robotics, albeit with a dark conspiracy brewing. The game’s unique retrofuturistic Soviet dystopia aesthetic has been cited as one of its main draws, although the style has also opened the game up to political controversy.
Ukrainian YouTuber ‘Harenko’ claimed that ‘Atomic Heart’ glorifies the Soviet Union and the KGB, and called on Western players to boycott it. However, multiple American content creators discarded that notion, citing the subversive nature of ‘Atomic Heart’ as a commentary on Cold War propaganda. Some also criticized developer Mundfish – many of whose staff are Russian – for not taking a stance on the conflict in Ukraine. The developers tweeted in January that they “do not comment on politics or religion” and are a “global team.”
YouTube game critic Luke Stephens argued on Friday that boycott calls appeared to mean that “a lot of people are simply engaging in McCarthyism, dismissing this studio, because it has Russians working within it.” He added that this kind of logic was “a slippery slope.”
The game’s success on Steam cannot be attributed to Russian users, as the digital storefront suspended sales in the country in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. By EarthWeb estimates, there are around 11.5 million Russian users on the platform. Instead, ‘Atomic Heart’ is available for purchase in the country via a service called VK Play.
‘Atomic Heart’ was positively received by critics, with review aggregator Open Critic currently listing it as 74/100 and its Metacritic score standing at 75/100.
Just like they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
I see so buying wizard game is based, but buying soviet game is not?
Buying wizard game is a sign you’re actually a piece of shit human being. I’m holding off on Atomic Heart until I find out a bit more about the politics, but might pick it up if it’s not bullshit anti-Soviet propaganda.
and to support the war effort against the banderites lol
It was stupid for Steam to drop Russia. They were getting thirty percent. Does it hurt the Russians to not have to pay a thirty percent cut for nothing? It would be if my landlord decided to not charge me an excess in rent to teach me that I needed him
To be completely fair they also dropped Ukraine.
Also Belarus for some reason.
Belarus got hit by a number of sanctions alongside Russia, as they are viewed as “complicit in the invasion”
People still use and even buy games on Steam. It was just posturing on their part, and frankly I doubt it brought them much monetary loss. Same as others
The opening scene in the game… Ah man, it was so beautiful.
was accused of glorifying the USSR
They say as if it’s something bad
Bad for nazis for sure
Apparently certain people took offense to this little poem
As if offending nazis is something bad)
The game’s success on Steam cannot be attributed to Russian users
or - hear me out, turns out most people just like playing Action/Adventure, RPG and FPS games, for whatever reason.
also the fact there’s a market for a new bioshock game (which atomic heart is probably gonna fulfil, due to it being a game commenting on political matters like cold war propaganda, as you said)
Buying tactical nukes and nuclear submarines, one vodka at a time!
Meanwhile, liberals paying to have something written on shells sent to kill donetsk children: I sleep
