There have been lots of questions about Atomic Heart, but maybe the biggest remains the question of just what exactly it is. As it turns out, like a lot of games that front-load on the dramatic marketing events, spark off controversies, and define themselves by reference to other, beloved games rather than on their own terms, Atomic Heart doesn’t really know what it is either. If you’re like me, you’ll probably get a good way through the game before you have much of a clue yourself.
Before you get to that point, you will most likely know it as at least “controversial” – and there have been just a few controversies. As we’ve reported elsewhere in more detail, developer Mundfish has come under scrutiny for, first, putting on some poorly timed marketing events in Russia, featuring big red banners reading “Glory to Soviet Engineers” during the country’s own land-grabbing, and deeply horrifying, invasion of Ukraine.
There’s been concern and confusion over Mundfish’s funding, with one of its key investors being tied to state-controlled Gazprom in a couple of ways. And to lesser concern, questions about the studio’s own origins and location. There was a disappointing non-statement about the Ukraine war in response: “global team… innovative game… pro-peace organisation… against violence against people,” and so on. Plus this old gem for good measure: “we do not comment on politics or religion.” Then there’s the data scandal, about its Russian store website allegedly including a clause informing users their data may be collected and sent to Russian state authorities, which Mundfish emphatically claims to be “outdated”. And there’s also the “racist cartoons” controversy. (Curiously, they appeared in the PC version but on Xbox, where we played, a large number of TV screens have just been blank white since launch.)
