Mundfish, the developer behind the newly released Soviet-themed shooterAtomic Heart, has released an official apology regarding an old cartoon in the game that some have criticized as racist. Thecartoon has shocked someAtomic Heartplayers, prompting some to demand an explanation from the developer.With years of anticipation leading up to the game’s release,Atomic Hearthas unfortunately had a rocky launch, and a cartoon that has offended some players has not made the game’s first week go any smoother. The cartoon in question is an episode from an actual Soviet-era children’s show titledNu, Pogodi!that depicts an African tribesman in a stereotypical light. With several episodes of the show available for Mundfish to choose from, the choice to include this particular episode has alarmed some players since these kinds of stereotypes are very outdated. The discovery of this cartoon left many who discovered it wanting answers.RELATED:Day One Xbox Game Pass Atomic Heart Plays Better On PS5Although there hasn’t been any clear explanation, there has been an apology statement made by Mundfish. The brief apology from the developer states that the studio apologizes for any hurt the cartoon has done to players. Mundfish’s statement also claimed that it would be editing the offending portion of the episode to appease anyAtomic Heartplayers who found the clip distasteful. The apology did not give any indication as to when the editing of the episode would take place, though.
The first few days of release have not been easy for the team at Mundfish. There have even beencalls from Ukraine to banAtomic Heartdue to the country’s concerns about the studio’s ties to Russia. Most studios just have to worry about bugs and patches, which are problems Mundfish indeed has been faced with and continues to fix, but controversies like these are usually not part of an average first-week launch for a new game.
Even though the game was highly anticipated leading up to its release,Atomic Heart’sbug problemsand controversies like this have put a blemish on what could have been a great release for the studio. Despite the game being praised for its world building and imagery, there have been a surprising amount of pitfalls in its way. Mundfish’s apology may satisfy some players who were upset, but there is still no solid explanation as to why this specific episode was chosen to be put in the game. There may never be a clear answer, but maybe the editing will help improve some players' experience with the game.
Atomic Heartis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
