Atomic Heart soundtrack composer Mick Gordon has announced he'll donate his earnings for the game towards the Red Cross, as part of its Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Inside a statement, Gordon said he'd been engaged by game maker Mundfish to work around the ‘musical vision’ of Atomic Heart in early 2023, together with his decision to work with they being motivated with a love for ‘Soviet-era synthesisers’ and ‘exciting creative opportunity’.
‘I'm proud to donate my fee from the game to the Australian Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal in support of the folks of Ukraine who are heroically defending their country against aggression,’ Gordon said. ‘I believe you should support pro-peace organisations, fully stand up for what is appropriate and also to help those in need, especially during times of crisis. This donation is a method for me to supply practical support to those whose lives have been influenced by war.’
Atomic Heart is a post-apocalyptic game that utilizes the aesthetics, soundtrack, and imagery of Soviet-era Russia for any dystopian tale of survival against dramatic, robot-infused odds. While not directly mentioned by Gordon in the statement, the game has recently come under fire because of the allegedly murky origins of Mundfish.
In early January 2023, the developer had to fight back against claims it was harvesting data for Russian authorities, as a report from AIN.Capital surfaced a peculiar clause within the game’s online privacy policy.
‘The privacy policy published around the studio's website directly refers to the gathering of user data, and the possible change in this data to Russian state authorities, particularly, the tax office and FSB,’ AIN.Capital alleged. ‘The authors of the policy, citing the legislation under which the data are collected, also mention Russian mobilisation laws, under which soldiers are presently being recruited in Russia to continue the criminal war against Ukraine.’
In addition, AIN.Capital alleged Mundfish would be a Russian-backed company operating out of Moscow, regardless of the studio claiming it had been located in Cyprus. In response to those claims, Mundfish labelled the privacy statement ‘outdated and wrong‘ but did not deny other allegations.
‘We've noted the questions surrounding where we, at Mundfish, stand. We want to guarantee that Mundfish is a developer and studio with a global team focused on a cutting-edge game and is undeniably a pro-peace organisation against violence against people,’ the studio later said on Twitter.
‘We don't comment on politics or religion. Be assured; we are a global team focused on getting Atomic Heart in to the hands of gamers everywhere. We do not, and won't, condone contributors or spammers with offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent, or threatening language or content.’
While the allegations of AIN.Capital have yet to be definitively addressed, many questions remain about Mundfish, and its alleged ties to Russia, local investors, and the government.
Whatever the motivation, Gordon’s stance is a welcome one – and a clear sign of support for Ukraine, which is constantly on the suffer as Russia unjustly continues its campaign of war against the region. Those who are able to donate should support the Red Cross along with other organisations currently trying to aid the Ukranian people.
