Atomic Heart composer Mick Gordon has announced that he will donate his fees from the game to help the Red Cross' humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Gordon says he's doing this in order to "stand up for what is right and to help those in need" during a time of crisis.
In a Twitter statement, Gordon says he's donated his fee to the Australian Red Cross' Ukraine Crisis Appeal in order to "stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine". Gordon unequivocally condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "brutal and unjustifiable" and praises the Red Cross as a "vital resource for those affected by the conflict".
Despite this somber tone, Gordon says he's still excited to hear his work in Atomic Heart. He describes developer Mundfish as "an absolute delight" to work with, seemingly in stark contrast to his feelings about Id Software and Bethesda, while also praising Atomic Heart's "stunning art direction and detailed world-building".
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February last year, prompting fundraising efforts and charitable donations on the part of many gaming industry bodies. The invasion also led to companies like Wargaming, CD Projekt, and Microsoft pulling out of Russia.
Despite the invasion, Ukrainian developers and studios continued to work on games. Sherlock Holmes developer Frogwares shared a snippet of what life was like in war-torn Ukraine shortly after the invasion began, and studios like 4A Games, which has an HQ in Malta but plenty of employees still working in Ukraine, are still working on new projects.
As for Atomic Heart, it's arriving in just a week's time on February 21st. It'll be available for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, and will be playable on day one if you're an Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscriber. The game is set in an alternate-history Soviet Union that developed a revolutionary new technology allowing it to be the chief architect of victory in World War II. You can check out a new live-action trailer for it, starring Supernatural's Jensen Ackles, here.
