Not only GSC Game World (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) or Vostok Games (Survarium) are located in Ukraine; there’s also Frogwares, who you might know via their Sherlock Holmes games!

WCCFTech interviewed Wael Amr, Frogwares’ CEO, and he revealed a few things. For instance, we learned how their employees were affected by the invasion: „The simple answer is this conflict threw all our lives into turmoil. One day we were living our lives; the next, we are fighting to survive. So far, everyone on our team is accounted for. We are all over the country, though, so there are some cases where we are significantly worried about them. Some are in occupied cities. Others in ones being heavily bombed. Some of our team members have already had their or their relative’s homes destroyed. Martial law has imposed that all men need to stay in the country, so families are divided as the women and children flee for the borders. We are currently working on coordinating with those team members who have made the hard decision to send their families out of the country while they stay.”

Fortunately, all offices are intact, so no harm has been done on that front yet. But what about moving to other cities from Kyiv or working from elsewhere? Amr said, „The team is all over Ukraine at the moment. What is considered a safe city today could change tomorrow, so we can’t make this decision, let alone for team members who have stated they will not leave their homes and family, not at a time like this. Relocation outside of Ukraine is the last resort, but we cannot exclude anything in the current situation. The fact the EU is opening its borders to Ukrainian refugees in some capacity is helpful. But it will never be simple to convince 90+ people to abandon their homes, lives, and family for what, in the end, is just a job. Ukraine is their home, and this is where their lives are. And many of us are ready to defend that at whatever cost.”

Yesterday, we discussed what Ukraine’s vice prime minister asked (he wants Xbox and PlayStation to leave Russia). What does Amr think? „We support it. A vast majority of Russian people do not know what is happening in Ukraine. Actions that cut them off from another luxury that they had yesterday is another reminder to start questioning what they are being told or start spreading what they know to their families. Their access to news is extremely biased or skewed. According to the Kremlin, there is no war in Ukraine, just a band of Ukrainian nazis who need to be bombed out of Kharkiv or Kyiv. Or that their Russian soldiers are welcomed with open arms as liberators. On top of this, the Russian State Duma is about to enact a law that will hand out 15-year jail sentences to anyone presenting “fake news” about the Russian war and three years of jail for anyone “asking for peace”. So clearly, the state is starting to fear that its population of 140 million will wake up. So any and every sanction that gets more Russians onto this path of defiance is fair game. Most mass revolutions never take hold until the people have almost nothing else to lose.”

Here’s his message to the fans and what should be done: „Firstly that our fans are fantastic and we thank them for their ongoing support in times like these. The same goes for the overall game dev scene. The amount of charity drives and open messages denouncing Russia’s actions is heartwarming. And we encourage all players to support those actions as those funds go directly to organizations helping the civilian people caught in this nightmare or to the troops who have taken up the task of defending us against this onslaught.

I would, however, also like to add that we encourage the game dev scene to do more. Any company that has a game as a service or platform to spread the news through their launchers or games dynamically should join the information drive. Put out messages to Russian players about the facts of the war in Ukraine. There is no need for propaganda, just plain facts that their army is bombing civilians and killing them. That they are not welcome here by the population. It’s time to take a stand up and use their marketing talents for something more than ROI.

And I’m not the first one here to say so. Wargaming should do this immediately, given that they have so many ties between Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Epic and Fortnite can do it. Pubg Corporation can do it. Embracer can do it. Sony can do it. Microsoft can do it. Steam can do it. I want to add that they have no business to lose since most payment systems are already blocked in Russia. In doing so, these companies could ramp up resistance back in Russia or even prevent more 18 or 20 years old Russian conscript boys blindly going to their deaths to burn alive in their APCs. These companies can save lives. Just use the truth,” Amr said.

Source: WCCFTech