The characters from a highly criticized game Atomic Heart, which is backed by ex-Gazprom Russian investors, have appeared on the showcases of the “Army of Russia” store. It is an official brand store of the Russian Ministry of Defence.
The “Army of Russia” store bragged about the alleged collaboration in its Telegram channel. The publication says that the models in the brand clothes were created by a neural network, and the background displays a building complex of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
“We would like to believe that the developers, when creating one of their game characters, were inspired by the image of the branded carbon mannequins of the “Army of Russia” shops;)”
the store commented.
The store’s website confirms the “Army of Russia” brand is a part of JSC Voentorg, the official supplier of the Russian army, a company subordinate to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Earlier in March, the store even posted a celebratory message, sneering at Russian annexation of Ukrainian Crimea 9 years ago.
Why is it important
So far, Atomic Heart’s developer Mundfish has denied any connection to Russian Federation, stating that they are “out of politics and for peace”. Although with their game’s release, several in-game examples came to light, where the developers made fun of the killings of Ukrainians.
Mundfish hasn’t yet commented on the usage of Atomic Heart’s copyrighted imagery by the “Army of Russia” brand. Is it possible that the “apolitical” studio has cooperated again with the Russian state authorities? One thing is clear, the Russian army has benefited greatly thanks to Atomic Heart.
