Games and politics: the reaction of gaming companies to what is happening in Ukraine
We looked at what the international gaming community is saying online about the situation in Ukraine. We share what we found.
11 bit studios, based in Poland, was one of the first to comment on the conflict. On Twitter, she announced that during the week she would transfer profits from the sale of the game This War of Mine and its add-ons to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Recall that the events of the studio title unfold in a city engulfed by civil war.
After an hour and a half, 11 bit studios was supported by representatives of the GOG app store.
The next day, the Polish studio CD Projekt Red commented on what was happening in Ukraine. The developers of Cyberpunk 2077 said they were “shocked and outraged” by what had happened in the country. As a sign of solidarity, CD Projekt Red decided to donate one million zlotys ($238.5 thousand) to Polska Akcja Humanitarna, a humanitarian organization helping the affected Ukrainians.
The recent invasion on Ukraine, our friends and neighbours, left us shocked and outraged.
In solidarity with all victims of this act of aggression, the CD PROJEKT Group has decided to support humanitarian aid efforts by donating 1 million PLN to the @PAH_org (1/2)
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) February 25, 2022
Among others who spoke out was GSC Game World — the author of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The studio wrote that she did not know what would happen next with Ukraine, but she hoped for the best. Also, GSC Game World urged not to remain indifferent and help those who need it. In conclusion, the company published a request to financially support the army of Ukraine.
Following her, Frogwares, which is responsible for the development of The Sinking City, told about her position. According to the company, the situation in the country affects its work and “can destroy our lives.” In an interview for the Game Developer portal, Frogwares CEO Wael Amr did not rule out the relocation of the Ukrainian studio in the event of an aggravation of the conflict, but added that this would be an extreme measure. Now the company is trying to help its employees in every possible way.
The Frogwares position is shared by Vostok Games. The Kiev studio shared an image of the Ukrainian flag on Twitter and assured that at the moment (February 24) its employees are safe.
A little later, a photo of the flag of Ukraine was also posted by 4A Games, known for the game Metro 2033. In a separate tweet, the Ukrainian studio wrote that “its large family includes people from all over the world, and now we all want one thing — that the horrors [Roskomnadzor] do not break out of the boundaries of fictional worlds.”
— 4A Games (@4AGames) February 25, 2022
Bloober Team — another Polish gaming company — also did not ignore the situation. She noted that normally on this day she would have told her fans about “Fat Thursday”, the holiday before Lent. But instead, the studio expresses solidarity and support to “Ukrainian friends, colleagues and neighbors.”
Czech indie studio Amanita Design followed the example of 11 bit studios and promised to donate the money earned during the next week from the games Machinarium, CHUCHEL and Creaks to the charity organization Člověk v tísni.
Other companies willing to donate a portion of the proceeds include Bungie, Raw Fury, Crytivo, Crunching Koalas, State of Play, Beetlewing and Digital Extremes. The indie studio Yevhen8, known for the urban planner Ostriv, did not report donations, but it posted a link to 29 charities.
Mobile developer and publisher Gameloft wrote that he has two offices in Ukraine — in Kharkiv and Lviv. He indicated that he was “deeply saddened by the current events” and was closely monitoring the situation. The company also keeps in touch with its Ukrainian employees.
Ubisoft also published a statement about its Ukrainian teams. According to her, the safety and well—being of her employees, as well as their families, is the main priority for the company. The French publisher noted that he had paid salaries to Ukrainian workers ahead of schedule and allocated additional funds to help them move. In addition, the company launched a hotline and promised to provide employees with housing in neighboring countries.
“Over the past few months, Ubisoft has been closely monitoring the situation and has taken measures to protect our teams. Last week, we recommended our employees to take shelter in a safe place in their opinion,” Ubisoft said in its appeal.
Uplandme Inc. also stated that it would help its employees with moving to neighboring countries.
The German Crytek reminded that it also has an office in Ukraine. She also stated that she is closely monitoring the situation and is trying to do everything possible for employees.
— Crytek (@Crytek) February 25, 2022
Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of tinyBuild, said that his company considered possible scenarios for the development of the situation in Ukraine a few weeks ago. According to him, tinyBuild accelerated relocation procedures and provided support for moving to the western part of the country. He also urged everyone to “keep cool, think pragmatically and anticipate the situation.”
The European Federation of Game Developers (EGDF) condemned Russia’s actions and called on the EU to “protect its core values.”
Recall that at the end of last week it also became known that the mobile publisher G5 Entertainment provided two additional days to Ukrainian employees “so that they could take care of themselves, their family and friends.” The company also indicated that the current situation will not affect its gaming business in the short term.
They also sent their employees to Playrix on paid leave. The authors of Homescapes and Gardenscapes launched a round-the-clock support line and announced that they would provide “the team with any necessary individual assistance: financial support, legal advice, relocation arrangements and much more.”
In addition, today representatives of the Russian gaming industry published an open letter calling for “stopping the fighting” in Ukraine. At the moment, it has been signed by over a thousand people.
