Atomic Heart dev apologises for including racist cartoon

Atomic Heart, having soured a lot of the hype for its alternate Soviet setting and inspirations from some of the most acclaimed shooters ever made, is now addressing the accusations of racism in a cartoon featured in the game.

This article contains mentions of sexual assault.

Those on Xbox Game Pass can get the game for free through the subscription service, and honestly, this might be the move seeing that it's split the room. Some outlets were floored by its mystery, ambition and diverse level design whereas other reviewers' eyebrows were raised over a gruelling gameplay loop, its script and "overly aggressive sexual innuendos." Indeed, there is a scene in Atomic Heart featuring a robot that is determined to have its way with the playable character before it is subdued and the inclusion of a racist caricature from an old Soviet era cartoon shocked players.

Here's the trailer for the game:

So that everyone's up to speed, this cartoon is Well, Just You Wait! (or Nu, pogodi! in Russian) and follows the escapades of Wolf trying to catch Hare in various comical situations. It's very much like Tom and Jerry. Originally airing in the early '70s, the episode where Wolf chases Hare in a museum and crashes into a statue of an African tribesman is seen on televisions in the game's save rooms.

While companies like Disney have handled the offensive and outdated representation of groups in their films from past decades, it was surprising to see that developer Mundfish hadn't screened the cartoon to ensure something like this didn't show up.

"The Mundfish team thanks the PC Gamer contributor for bringing this lack of sensitivity to our attention. We apologise if using the vintage cartoon or music has caused hurt or insult. We will edit the parts in question," read the response to the criticism (thanks to IGN's Kat Bailey). The timeline on this alteration is not known at the moment. However, it is probably going to be a part of a very long list of changes that the developer has to work through.

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