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Two Polish game studios are donating a full week’s worth of profits to the Ukrainian Red Cross to aid those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As Russian forces pushed further into Ukraine yesterday, February 24, This War of Mine developer 11 Bit Studios put out an impassioned statement condemning the invasion.
“We stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” 11 Bit wrote on Twitter. “Just words would be empty without a meaningful act though, and the timing is crucial.”
For the next six days, all profits from sales of This War of Mine and its DLC will go to a special fund.
Today, another Polish studio, Crunching Koalas, joined the cause. Crunching Koalas, which developed “modern survival horror masterpiece” Darkwood, is donating 100% of profits from all of its games sold on all platforms to the Ukrainian Red Cross. You can find a list of Crunching Koalas’ games here (opens in new tab).
“We strongly feel this is the right thing to do and we hope that it will set an example for other studios to follow, and solidify the stance of our industry against the mindless violence and aggression happening right now,” reads a statement from Crunching Koalas.
11 bit studios team statement:#FuckTheWar#Ukraine @RedCrossUkraine @Ukraine pic.twitter.com/bVqBlZnR8jFebruary 24, 2022
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Crunching Koalas team statement:#StandWithUkraine #Ukraine @RedCrossUkraine @Ukraine @11bitstudios pic.twitter.com/jvXJESvMh8February 25, 2022
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“If the situation in Ukraine gets worse, volunteers and staff of the Ukrainian Red Cross would provide first aid in areas where access to medical services will be limited,” the Red Cross wrote yesterday (opens in new tab). “Communication will be established and awareness of health risks will be raised. And, of course, we will provide humanitarian aid to all people in need.”
If you’ve already played This War of Mine, you’ll know it’s entirely focused on civilian life during the extended military siege of a modern city. Its development was inspired by the Bosnian War and siege of Sarajevo in the 90s – but also the Russo-Ukrainian War that broke out in 2014.
“If you think that the civilized world would never collapse, well: it’s our neighboring country, a few hundred kilometers from where I live,” 11 Bit’s Paweł Miechowski told PC Gamer last year.
Crunching Koalas’ statement continues: “As a Polish studio located within only a few hours’ drive from Kiev, we as Crunching Koalas, cannot remain idle and not react to bombs being dropped on the homes of our neighbors. Therefore, we – both as a company and human beings – want to stand against the cruel and violent act of Russian aggression on Ukraine and express our solidarity with all those affected.”
11 Bit and Crunching Koalas aren’t the only ones lending a hand. GOG.com (opens in new tab), the distributor owned by fellow Polish studio CD Projekt, will also donate its share of the sales of This War of Mine for the week. And publisher Raw Fury has promised to make a donation to the Ukranian Red Cross too.
“War devastates all it touches, and this is a time where we all need to come together as a community to help,” Raw Fury wrote (opens in new tab). “One of the tenets of Raw Fury is that we treat humans like humans, and when conflicts like this arise, it is more important than ever that we show empathy for each other.”
This War of Mine is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS.
