Back in February, when the Russian Federation launched its invasion of Ukraine, developer SCS Software was just weeks away from completing work on the Euro Truck Simulator 2 Heart of Russia expansion. Now, in light of the war, the studio has said it has decided to cancel the expansion so it doesn’t appear to offer support to the Russian side of the conflict.
SCS Software reports that on February 24, the Heart of Russia team was “6-8 weeks” away from being ready to release a map expansion for their popular sim. “We are all very happy with the result; A lot of effort has been put into making this new region truly fantastic in the game,” the developers write in the latest blog post. “We were absolutely sure that our community, especially in Russia, would really appreciate it.”
The studio struggled to put together a Ukraine charity DLC to offer help to Ukrainians fleeing the war, and around 85,000 copies of the Ukrainian coloring DLC have been sold to date.
However, the studio says that at this point he was faced with a difficult decision whether or not to move on to the Heart of Russia DLC.
“When we develop our games, we try to be as non-political as possible, thereby protecting the global gaming audience from day-to-day conflict,” the studio explains. “We really like the idea that our common passion for truck simulation allows people to connect, take virtual tours of a neighboring country in the world and enjoy a common hobby, instead of leaving something to divide us. “.
With this in mind, SCS Software states that it has decided not to publish Heart of Russia. “Because our Heart of Russia DLC directly affects Russia and so many people are suffering, we have decided to refrain from releasing the DLC so that it is in no way perceived as supporting or condoning aggression,” the message states. developers write.
At some point, according to the study, the expansion may be available, but only when the war is over and Ukraine begins to recover from a costly war.
“When the time comes to restore and heal Ukraine, we will try to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play a role in that healing process for all,” the studio says.
Source : PC Gamesn
