Doom Composer Donates Atomic Heart Fee To Red Cross For Ukraine

The Doom and Wolfenstein II composer recently announced that he will be donating the proceeds of his work on Atomic Heart to the Australian Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. The move comes weeks after studio Mundfish became embroiled in controversy over its ties to Russia.

Yesterday, Mick Gordon posted the following image on his Twitter account:

On February 24, 2022, like the rest of the world, I was horrified when Putin’s armies escalated the war in Ukraine with a brutal and unjustifiable invasion, causing immense suffering to the Ukrainian people. The tragedy of this conflict cannot be overstated, with countless innocent lives already lost and the country deeply affected by violence and instability. This invasion was not a decision of the Russian people but rather an authoritarian regime that does not respect human rights and dignity. The world must continue to demand an end to this aggression and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Gordon went on to explain that he joined the Atomic Heart team because of his love of Soviet-era synthesizers. He pointed out that he had a wonderful time with Mundfish and was looking forward to the release of Atomic Heart.

“I am proud to donate my match fee to the Australian Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal to support the people of Ukraine who are heroically defending their country against aggression,” Gordon wrote. “I believe in supporting pro-peace organizations, standing up for what is right and helping those in need, especially in times of crisis. This donation is a way for me to provide concrete support to those whose lives have been affected by war.

His statements come after the studio had been criticized for his statements on the invasion of Ukraine. Although it is headquartered in Cyprus, the company is Russian. Atomic Heart centers a KGB agent as the protagonist, and the story takes place in a alternative Soviet Union (Other articles indicate out of it this romanticized version of the Soviet Union beat Hitler, but uh… that actually happened in real life).

When faced with questions about its stance on the Russian invasion, Mundfish’s official Twitter account pointed out that the studio is a “pro-peace organization” and that it does not comment on politics. The statement was bland, but I get it. The Russian government hasn’t been kind about how he treats anti-war protesters within its borders. But things turned sour when the studio equated anti-war comments with spam and tweeted: “We do not and will not tolerate contributors or spammers with offensive, hateful, discriminatory, violent or violent language or content. threatening.

Kotaku reached out to Gordon to ask if his contribution was influenced by public reaction last month and whether or not Mundfish would match his donation in any capacity. He wrote: “The conflict in Ukraine has caused immense suffering and displacement for countless people and communities, and I wanted to do my part to provide support and relief to those affected… My donation was an independent decision, and I can’t speak on behalf of the studio or their charitable contributions.

The timing doesn’t seem ideal, but what matters is that the Australian Red Cross receives a donation while the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still underway. Kotaku asked Mundfish if he would make a similar contribution, but did not receive a response as of press time.

“I hope other people and organizations will join in supporting the people of Ukraine during this difficult time,” Gordon wrote in his email.