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PayPalSCS Software have put out a statement about the Heart of Russia upcoming DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and they've decided not to release it. With the ongoing barbaric invasion of Ukraine from Russia, it's not exactly surprising that releasing a DLC expansion for a game that's focused on Russia might cause problems.
In their statement, SCS mentioned how they "try to be as apolitical as possible" but in this case, they simply could not stay silent on it "with so many people suffering, we decided to refrain from releasing the DLC so that it is not perceived in any way as being in support of or tolerance of the aggression".
Sounds like it's not completely cancelled though, as they will hold onto it until Ukraine can "rebuild and heal" so they will then "endeavour to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play whatever part it can in that healing process, for everyone".
A tough situation for SCS to navigate through, considering all the effort they put into their work and their DLC are usually quite well received too due to the work they put in to capture the essence of the areas they add in.
You can buy ETS2 from Humble Store and Steam.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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RussianNeuroMancer May 30, 2022
This is the right decision. It's absolutely crazy what Russian government do right now, and not only government - around 70% citizens believe in propaganda, and honestly wish Ukrainians death. There is just no point to release this DLC until Russia citizens change their mind, and I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
10 Likes, Who?
Kimyrielle May 30, 2022
It's the right call. Unfortunately, in this case, there was no unpolitical decision available. It's a shame that they blew so much money on making a product they in all likelihood will never be able to sell before it is horribly outdated. The time it will take for Russia to be an accepted member of the international community again will be measured in decades, not years...
6 Likes, Who?
This is the right decision. It's absolutely crazy what Russian government do right now, and not only government - around 70% citizens believe in propaganda, and honestly wish Ukrainians death. There is just no point to release this DLC until Russia citizens change their mind, and I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
It's the right call. Unfortunately, in this case, there was no unpolitical decision available. It's a shame that they blew so much money on making a product they in all likelihood will never be able to sell before it is horribly outdated. The time it will take for Russia to be an accepted member of the international community again will be measured in decades, not years...
Not arguing at all about the fact that what is happening in the Ukraine is wrong, it is.
But I honestly feel that what the west is doing now towards the Russian people is so very very flawed. Going after the rich and influential people there, go for it. But cutting the normal Russian off from everything is only pushing them more into the corner we don't want them to be.
What will this accomplish really? Nothing it will just make a gamer go f*** this, stupid West/developer. He is not going onto the streets and demonstrate with the risk of a jail timer longer then what you get in some countries for a murder, no he will go like hmmm maybe all the news I see every day (the propaganda) has some truth.
I also have no correct solution for it all, but I do feel that cutting the normal Russian off from the world (no google/apple pay/xbox/sony ps,no more games to buy on steam, etc etc) is not the way.
Let the Flaming start :)
Last edited by Bumadar on 30 May 2022 at 6:46 pm UTC
8 Likes, Who?
This is the right decision. It's absolutely crazy what Russian government do right now, and not only government - around 70% citizens believe in propaganda, and honestly wish Ukrainians death. There is just no point to release this DLC until Russia citizens change their mind, and I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
Mind you is not just Russians that eat their propaganda. A bunch of people here in Brazil that identify themselves as leftists, believe in it too. Is not all of them, but enough to be annoying.
2 Likes, Who?
But I honestly feel that what the west is doing now towards the Russian people is so very very flawed. ...cutting the normal Russian off from everything is only pushing them more into the corner we don't want them to be.The problem is how do you define where to draw the line? All those soldiers, generals, politicians, they are fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, friends to someone. To normal Russians, as you put it. Is a wife at fault if her husband goes to another country to rape and plunder? What about all those kindergarten teachers who proudly dress kids up in military uniforms? This is not happening in a vacuum, and everything and everyone are connected in one way or another.
An actual president would care about the welfare of his people. Unfortunately we all know that Putin does not. But not doing anything is not an option either, because neutrality only benefits the aggressor.
In the end we are measuring hundreds of thousands killed against not being able to buy a DLC for a game. If opposing this mindless war inconveniences a few innocent Russians, then be it.
5 Likes, Who?
I'm fine with making Russia a pariah for their brutal invasion. Just wish we could apply this excellent standard universally. So like, to Saudi Arabia with their equally if not more brutal invasion of Yemen. Or the United States with too many invasions to count.
17 Likes, Who?
I also have no correct solution for it all, but I do feel that cutting the normal Russian off from the world (no google/apple pay/xbox/sony ps,no more games to buy on steam, etc etc) is not the way.
Business cannot be run on emotions and it shouldn't touch politics as well. Does cancelling of this DLC help one side against the other in the conflict? Highly unlikely. But it will surely hurt the developer.
Sanctions always hurt common people and elites still have money to buy latest iPhone or whatever. Political problems — a war is a part of politics — should be resolved using appropriate instruments like diplomacy and military power.
3 Likes, Who?
Business cannot be run on emotions and it shouldn't touch politics as well. Does cancelling of this DLC help one side against the other in the conflict? Highly unlikely. But it will surely hurt the developer.Politics and emotions affect the buying decisions of their customer base. We're not machines, and we have our own (political) opinions and personal biases. Therefore you simply cannot separate business from politics and emotions. That's obvious from consumer focused marketing for basically any product ever.
Besides, businesses are run by human beings with their own opinions and ethical standards, as they should be. These people are free to make business decisions based on these standards, at least within the confines of relevant laws and regulations, balanced with the needs of stakeholders in case of a public company. And SCS is still a privately owned business, so no pressure to satisfy indifferent investors.
In this case, I'd argue the decision was driven by the market as much as it was influenced by politics. The Russian Euro Truck Sim community isn't likely to be totally insignificant, but SCS's customer base is likely to be overwhelmingly on one side of this particular issue. Positive messaging pertaining to Russia (even in a context like this) isn't likely to go down well right now, or in the near future.
5 Likes, Who?
I think that selling this DLC and giving a cut from income to some good charity would be also an acceptable solution.
6 Likes, Who?
Kimyrielle May 30, 2022
I think that selling this DLC and giving a cut from income to some good charity would be also an acceptable solution.
Even if they did that and donated 100% of the proceedings to charity, I think pretty much nobody outsides of Russia wants to touch Russian-themed content with the proverbial 10-foot pole right now. It wouldn't really sell well anyway.
2 Likes, Who?
Doc Angelo May 30, 2022
In the end we are measuring hundreds of thousands killed against not being able to buy a DLC for a game.
Who is doing that and how does that makes sense? It's not like we have to choose between those two things. Those two things have nothing to do with each other.
The developer was (unusually) clear and direct about this: Releasing anything with "Russia" in the title or Russian themed could be interpreted as "support" for the Russian side of the war. The developer fears social media backlash because of this. It's a business decision, not a moral or political one. It's not like the developer supports anything. It's just trucks. They won't release it because of a possible misunderstanding on the side of customers and the customers creating a shit storm based on their misunderstanding.
0 Likes
Mountain Man May 30, 2022
Classic virtue signaling.
3 Likes, Who?
Europeans continue to hurt themselves in hopes of hurting Russia.
4 Likes, Who?
Kimyrielle May 31, 2022
Europeans continue to hurt themselves in hopes of hurting Russia.
So did the UK and France when they declared war on Nazi Germany. Doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do. For the exact same reasons. It's the nature of war that whatever you're doing, it's also hurting yourself. In the case of the sanctions, sure they will hurt the West, too. As long as it hurts Russia more (and it does), it's still a strategic win.
Last edited by Kimyrielle on 31 May 2022 at 5:46 am UTC
11 Likes, Who?
Love this game to bits, love it even more for this. Very good decision from SCS and I hope they get compensated well for it. ETS2 is so much more than "just another sim game"
0 Likes
Classic virtue signaling.
Nothing wrong with virtue, nothing wrong with signaling. *shrug*
8 Likes, Who?
This is the right decision. It's absolutely crazy what Russian government do right now, and not only government - around 70% citizens believe in propaganda, and honestly wish Ukrainians death. There is just no point to release this DLC until Russia citizens change their mind, and I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
Mind you is not just Russians that eat their propaganda. A bunch of people here in Brazil that identify themselves as leftists, believe in it too. Is not all of them, but enough to be annoying.
Same in Greece. Many watching RT news there, it's frustrating. The Syriza is also too much in Putin's arse.
3 Likes, Who?
Business cannot be run on emotions and it shouldn't touch politics as well.
This is a fallacy, as it assumes that there is such a thing as an apolitical stance here. If there's a racist attacking PoC, it's not "apolitical" to stay at the side. Same here.
Does cancelling of this DLC help one side against the other in the conflict? Highly unlikely.
... and there you go discussing politically (checking pros and cons) ...
But it will surely hurt the developer.I'm not that sure about it. The backlash and current distaste for Russian themed "things" is big and can quickly offset the income.
Sanctions always hurt common people... like the ETS2 devs? They're not common people, and anyhow, it's their decision. If you mean the players: There's no "hurting" involved... at all. There's not even close to a right to have a Russia DLC.
and elites still have money to buy latest iPhone or whatever.That's... not what sanctions go for. The EU couldn't care less whether any Oligarch can still afford iPhones. It's about freezing assets that may be used to help the war effort. This is big money, not consumer electronics.
Political problems — a war is a part of politics — should be resolved using appropriate instruments like diplomacy and military power.Sanctions are a part of diplomacy, and of military might. Additionally, wars are waged using Propaganda, this doubly so. Having the upper hand in the information warfare (and morale) is crucial.
You cannot be apolitical, you can either support the current situation or act against it (well, you can try to play both sides, but that's worse).
8 Likes, Who?
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