Atomic Heart Is Being Called Out for Racist Cartoon

gamerant.com:

Mundfish’s first-person shooter Atomic Heart is being criticized for showing a cartoon that contains a racist caricature. The game, which takes place in an alternate history when the Soviet Union won World War 2, was already facing controversy even before launch. Primarily, Ukraine has called for a ban of Atomic Heart, with the country’s Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs stating that the money made from its sale might be used to fund Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

There has been both condemnation and praise for the game, which was created by Mundfish, a Russian developer that relocated its base of operations to Cyprus. Many have pointed to this move as a sign of the company’s duplicitous attempt to hide its origins. The situation hasn’t been helped by the Atomic Heart developer’s vague statements about the war in Ukraine, though Mundfish maintains that it solely intends to remain apolitical.

Atomic Heart Launched With No Ray Tracing Support on PC

Now, a negative lens has once again focused on the gamewith the discovery that it apparently contains a racist caricature. Atomic Heart has safe rooms like those in Resident Evil, which give the player a chance to catch their breath, save their progress, and upgrade or craft items. In these rooms, there is a television that usually just shows a white screen. However, sometimes it displays an actual Soviet children’s cartoon called Nu, Pogodi!, which first aired in 1969 and has been compared to Tom and Jerry.

One of the episodes that appears on the screen in Atomic Heart’s safe room is called “Museum,” which dates back to 1978 and shows a racially stereotyped image of an African tribesman. These caricatures were occasionally seen in old cartoons from the era and were