Ukraine Game Developers Ask For Help
In the wake of the Russian attack on their country, Ukraine game developers are sending out messages online asking for help.
This article is more than 2 years old
The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine is already having severe effects on the civilians and businesses that call the country home. Since the invasion started, there have been bombings, skirmishes, and deaths on both the civilian and military sides. It’s clear this unprovoked assault is going to be detrimental for many people in Ukraine. Ukraine game developers have recently hit social media to report on their status during the crisis and to ask for support for their country.
A number of Ukraine’s game developers have come forward, including GSC Game World. GSC Game World is based in the capital city of Kyiv, which has experienced multiple shellings from Russian forces. GSC Game World has around 300 employees and is best known for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. The next entry in the survival RPG series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is set to release in December of this year. In their Tweet regarding the Ukraine crisis, they included a special aid account for the Ukrainian armed forces. See the Tweet and their statement below:
GSC Game World is far from the only Ukraine game developer getting involved in the wake of this ongoing tragedy. Ubisoft, though not a Ukrainian company, has two major offices in Kyiv and Odessa, another city that faced shelling from Russian forces. David Tisserand, the accessibility manager at Ubisoft, tweeted about the issue, giving credit to the Ukraine teams for their extensive work on the accessibility options in their game. See that Tweet below:
Game developers from neighboring Poland are condemning the actions of Russia as well, along with much of the rest of the world. The Polish-based 11 Bit Studios recently released a statement that over the next seven days they are donating all profits from their critically acclaimed title This War of Mine directly to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Fittingly, this brutal simulation/strategy game depicts the horrors of a war-torn country and the sacrifices and choices people have to make when they’re put into those situations. If you want to help support their cause, you can buy This War of Mine from multiple platforms. You can also donate to the Ukrainian Red Cross directly if you choose. Here is the Tweet with their statement below:
This invasion is bound to continue to cause problems for the people of Ukraine and all of the businesses that operate there. Other Ukraine game studios like Vostok Games, Red Beat, Frogwares, The Serpent Rogue, and 4A Games are all located across the country and have released various statements regarding the invasion. You can hear more of their thoughts from the Kotaku and Polygon reports regarding the matter.
Hopefully, these Ukraine game studios and their employees can continue to stay safe during this assault and come out the other side of the invasion unharmed. While everyone in Ukraine and most of the rest of the world is wishing for peace, Putin continues to push his forces where they don’t belong. With that in mind, we’ll leave you with this simple, but effective Tweet from Vostok Games:
