Russia has openly attacked and invaded Ukraine after weeks of mounting tensions between the two countries, with dozens of Ukrainian citizens reportedly killed by bombings. As the world watches this historical (and frankly, terrifying) event unfold, efforts have begun to help aid civilians caught in the crossfire. That includes 11Bit Studios, makers of the acclaimed 2014 anti-war survival game, This War of Mine.
11Bit, a Polish studio, has announced it is heavily discounting This War of Mine, its expansion and console port The Little Ones, and its DLC across all platforms for the next week. The game is currently 75-8o% off, dropping it down to $4.99 on Steam and $3.99 on consoles. 100 percent of the profits made during this sale will form a fund that will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. In This War of Mine, players oversee and care for a group of civilian survivors of a devastating conflict in a commentary of the horrors of war. You can read 11Bit’s full statement below.
Today Russian military forces attacked the free country of Ukraine – our neighbours. As a Polish game studio and creators of the globally recognized anti-war game, This War of Mine – one that directly speaks about the suffering and misery of civilians who are affected by war – we’d like to hereby announce our company statement: we stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Just words would be empty without a meaningful act though, and the timing is crucial, so the act is as follows: for the next seven days, all profits from This War of Mine, all its DLCs, on all stores and all platforms will go to a special fund. A week from now, this money will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross to directly support victims of war in Ukraine.
Let this message resonate with everything you know about this war and how war kills people, devastates their lives and homes. Let us – players and developers together – do everything we can to support victims of war in Ukraine.
11 Bit isn’t the first European Studio to condemn the attacks. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 developer GSC Game World, which is based in Ukraine, posted its own call for support, saying in part:
As of today, the Russian Federation has officially declared war on Ukraine. Our country woke up with the sounds of explosions and weapons fire, but is ready to defend its freedom and independence, for it remains strong and ready for anything. The future is unknown, but we hope for the best, are ever sure of our armed forces and our belief in Ukraine.
We thus address all our colleagues in the gaming industry; players, bloggers, or anyone who sees this post in their newsfeed: share this, do not stand aside, and help those in need.
If you want to help our neighbors overseas, you can donate directly to the Ukrainian Red Cross here.
