Atomic Heart has been embroiled in controversy for the last few weeks, with some accusing it of being Russian propaganda. We’ll take a look at the situation surrounding it and why its Soviet Union setting has been heavily criticized.
Is Atomic Heart Russian propaganda?
Atomic Heart isn’t Russian propaganda any more than a game about an American is American propaganda. The game takes place in an alternate 1955 Soviet Union. So, it doesn’t feature the Russian Federation government or make any statement about it.
The controversy around the game stems from the fact that its developer, Mundfish, allegedly has Russian ties that it hasn’t been transparent about. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, people have wanted to ensure their money isn’t going to the Russian government. Mundfish appears to have received financing from Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company and may be responsible for paying Russian taxes. Additionally, Mundfish claims to be based in Cyprus, but doubts have been raised about whether that’s where its primary development studio is actually located.
Mundfish hasn’t directly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine. So, many assume that despite assertions that the studio is anti-war, it either supports Russia’s invasion or is so closely tied to the Russia that it can’t say anything for fear of reprisal.
Is Atomic Heart pro-Soviet Union?
Atomic Heart isn’t Soviet propaganda, either. But, some believe the fact that it doesn’t explicitly denounce the Soviet Union is an issue. Here are some of the reasons why:
When the Soviet Union collapsed, researchers found official records of the following:
- 1.45 million deaths in the Kazakh famine of 1931-1933
- 1.7 million deaths in the Gulag system
- 22,000 deaths in the Katyn massacre
- 390,000 deaths during the dekulakization resettlements between 1917-1933
- 400,000 deaths of people “deported” to forced settlements
- 5.5-6.5 million deaths in the Soviet famine of 1932-1933 were caused by government policies.
- 799,455 executions between 1921-1953
Those are just some of the deaths that happened under Stalinism in the Soviet Union, and those are just the ones that were recorded.
Only Hitler’s and Mao’s regimes come close to Stalin’s numbers. The Soviet Union’s treatment of its people improved after his death in 1953, but that’s only because it couldn’t get much worse.
Because of how unimaginably horrible the Soviet Union was, it’s unsurprising that Atomic Heart’s relatively soft attitude toward it has struck some people as odd. After all, if you made a game where you were a Nazi, everyone would expect there to be some point to it and that it would be critical of Hitler’s regime.
To put things into perspective, within a 30-year time frame, Stalin and his underlings officially executed more people than the current population of the following U.S. states and territories:
- Northern Mariana Islands: 47,329
- American Samoa: 49,710
- U.S. Virgin Islands: 87,146
- Guam: 153,836
- Wyoming: 581,381
- Vermont: 647,064
- Alaska: 733,583
- North Dakota: 779,261
Atomic Heart doesn’t outright support the Soviet Union and even makes some critical statements about it. However, many who are educated about what happened under that regime believe the only proper attitude is complete condemnation.
