Atomic Heart developer Mundfish has released an apology regarding a caricature that some players have criticized as racist. Responding to an ongoing controversy, the development team apologized for any hurt and said it will switch out the offensive parts of a vintage cartoon that is viewable in the game.
The cartoon was discovered in an episode from the old Soviet animated show called Nu, Pogodi! While in the game's save rooms, Atomic Heart players can watch episodes of the cartoon, which was aimed at children and first aired in 1961. Atomic Heart is being criticized for a segment in one of these episodes in which two anthropomorphized animal characters chase each other around a museum. During the chase, a very brief shot shows a statue depicting a caricature of a generic African tribal man — complete with ink-black skin and overly exaggerated lips and teeth — firing an arrow from an antique bow.
After PC Gamer released a report about the controversy surrounding the cartoon, Mundfish issued an official statement, saying: "The Mundfish team thanks the PCGamer contributor for bringing this lack of sensitivity to our attention. We apologize if using the vintage cartoon or music has caused hurt or insult. We will edit the parts in question." Though there has not been a clear comment on why the cartoon is included in the game, Mundfish assured it will edit the cartoon to address the issue.
This is not the first major controversy surrounding Atomic Heart. Last month, the development team was accused of collecting data and information for the Russian government. Mundfish issued an apology statement for any confusion and said Russia had no direct involvement with Atomic Heart. Shortly after the game's launch, it was reported that the Ukrainian government plans to write a letter to Sony, Microsoft, and Valve to remove Atomic Heart from digital stores due to the game featuring Soviet roots that romanticize communist ideology.