How the games industry has responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
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Loading... - Perseus Halkias
- 04 Oct 2022
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The games industry has rallied to condemn Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine – here’s a roundup of everything that’s happened so far.
On February 24, Russia sent military forces into Ukraine. The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has estimated that between that date and March 15, the conflict has claimed 1,900 civilian casualties. The UN (via BBC) also estimates that there are nearly 1.85million internally displaced people within Ukraine.
The invasion has drawn global condemnation, and countries across the world have hit Russia with severe financial sanctions. Within the games industry, several studios and companies have also taken action – with responses ranging from charity fundraisers to cutting off sales in Russia.
Some studios have been directly affected by the invasion – Ubisoft recently shared that it will provide alternate housing and early paychecks for its employees in Ukraine, while Kyiv-based studio GSC Game World announced that Stalker 2: Heart Of Chernobyl development has been “shifted to the sidelines” and will be picked back up “after the victory”. The same studio later changed the game’s title to Heart Of Chornobyl to reflect the region’s Ukrainian spelling.
To support those caught in the Ukraine conflict, several major studios across the world have opted to make donations to charities providing help in the region. 11 Bit Studios announced that it raised £520K from sales of This War Of Mine over the last week, which will be sent to the Red Cross in Ukraine. Read More...
