in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, SCS Software, the developer behind Euro Truck Simulator 2 has made the decision to suspend the release of its upcoming heart of Russia Expansion. The team was around six to eight weeks away from completing work on the DLC before the conflict began.
“On the 24th of February 2022, our Heart of Russia team was some six to eight weeks away from completing work on the highly anticipated new DLC. We all felt really good about the result; a lot of effort had been invested in making this new region look truly fantastic in the game,” SCS shared in a blog post yesterday.
“We were absolutely sure that our community, especially those in Russia, would really appreciate that. Then, all of a sudden, the entire world was rocked by the news that Ukraine had been invaded by Russia.”
SCS continued, stating that its aim is to make games that are as “apolitical as possible” which offers players a chance to escape from “everyday controversies”.
Unfortunately, the Russian expansion will be against their goal to be as politically neutral as possible, as it could be a reminder of the harsh realities currently occurring on the border of Ukraine.
“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.”
SCS finished stating that it “strongly believe[s] that there is hope for the proud people of Ukraine to prevail and for the suffering to end for all. Injustice cannot and must not win. And, when the time comes for Ukraine to rebuild and heal, then we will endeavor to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play whatever part it can in that healing process, for everyone.”
In solidarity with Ukraine SCS released Ukraine Paint Jobs Pack for its truck simulator. The company announced that 100 percent of these profits would be donated to aid humanitarian efforts in the country. At the time of writing, over 85,000 players have purchased this pack so far.
