In the context of Russia's war against Ukraine, game industry practitioners and gamers in Ukraine have made their voices heard on the Internet.
Ukraine is home to GSC Game World, developer of Lost Zone, Frogwares, the studio of Sunken City and Sherlock Holmes, and Vostok Games, developer of Suvarium. Ubisoft has two studios in the state, including its capital, Kiev.
"Our country woke up to the sound of explosions and weapons fire, but is ready to defend its freedom and independence," the GSC wrote, calling for assistance to Ukraine's armed forces. "The future is unknown, but we want to be the best, always convinced of our armed forces and our faith in Ukraine.".
Ubisoft provided the following statement to the media about its studio in Kiev and the port city of Odessa.
A UBISOFT spokesperson said: "The safety and well-being of our team members has always been our primary concern. We are closely monitoring the situation and have taken some steps to help our team in Ukraine stay safe. We are also providing help and assistance to all team members. We have no more details to share at the moment, but will continue to monitor and adjust to the development of the situation. "
In Montreal, Ubisoft General Manager David Tisserand detailed some of the work carried out by the company's Ukrainian team.
"Today our Ukrainian colleagues are experiencing turmoil in the midst of war, and it is difficult to work with peace of mind," Tisserand wrote. "In case you didn't know, the teams in Kiev and Odessa have been a big force in our game development team since Assassin's Creed: Origins"
"Most of the customization options that our players have become accustomed to come directly from the passion and dedication of these teams to their work. They are also the ones who improve our game engine to ensure that we can drive project iterations further in the future. “
"I'm scared of my friends who were still in meeting yesterday."
Kiev-based Vostok Games, a member of Suvarium's development team, simply tweeted this.
A Frogwares spokesperson said in an interview with the media that some members of its team were woken up by nearby shelling and rocket attacks.
Frogwares said: "Our people are all over Ukraine, so a few people were woken up at 5am this morning by the sound of shelling and rocket attacks nearby. "Most of the team is in Kiev and they say there's quite a bit of public unrest and commotion in the streets right now as people start hoarding supplies or trying to leave for the suburbs.
"As the situation continues to change, Frogwares and the team are watching and making adjustments as needed. Work on certain teams has slowed down or stopped altogether as individual employees start doing what they need to do to make sure their safety comes first. Others log in online and have at least something to do, be able to talk to their colleagues and get themselves a bit of a distraction. "
Outside ukraine, some developers said they would donate in response. All proceeds from the sale of this War of Mine, the polish studio 11 Bit's anti-war game, will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross in the coming week. GOG will also donate a portion of its sales. Meanwhile, Destiny's developer Bungie will donate to humanitarian work as part of its Game2Give plan.