A hot potato: A new game arrived on Steam yesterday, partly set in the ongoing war in Ukraine and "officially recommended by the Russian Military." Unsurprisingly, there's been a lot of controversy around what is being called Russian propaganda, along with questions over how it was allowed on the platform in the first place.
Free-to-play tactical shooter Squad 22: ZOV is the only game to come from both developer SPN Studio and publisher Zarobana Entertainment. The description reads, "Based on real war-time experience of living Russian veterans of war in Ukraine." There's also a section in bold that proudly announces, "Game is officially recommended by the Russian Military for use as a basic infantry tactic manual for cadet and Yunarmy [Russia's Young Army Cadets National Movement] training."
The game promises to show "history as it is," tasking players to delve into the "complexities of the 2014 and 2022-2024 events," referring to the invasions of Crimea and Ukraine, respectively. There's also the promise of gaining insight into the perspectives of those who lived through these periods – presumably Russian soldiers --understanding how these events shaped their lives and opinions.
Players can also rescue hostages and capture prisoners, and encounter and interact with civilians, all from the viewpoint of the Russian military forces.
The game's website names several of the Russian soldiers who acted as special military consultants during development. One of these is "Hero of the Russian Federation" Vlad Golovin, who commanded a platoon in the siege of Mariupol, which is one of the game's campaigns.
The site also confirms that Squad 22: ZOV was developed with information supported by The Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
The name ZOV itself is made up of the three letters that have become prominent symbols of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, appearing on military vehicles, pro-war propaganda, and in public displays across Russia and occupied territories.
The Ukrainian state's Centre for Countering Disinformation called ZOV Russian propaganda last year. It was also shown off at Russia's Army 2024 event.
To get ZOV on Steam, SPN's lead dev Alexander Tolkach told PCGamer that it "went through [a] very long moderation process. Valve's team literally requested access to all in-game content and checked it for about 60 days," instead of what he said was the usual 5 to 7 days. He added that the team was careful not to include anything illegal.
Tolkach added that the idea for Squad 22 "came from GVPU," Russia's Military-Political Directorate, but funding came from "our own savings and in majority by a private investor." He also made the dubious claim that no money made from the game will be filtered back to the Russian military.
"I understand why 99% of game developers stick to either long past (up to WWII) or fictional settings. And I understand Ukrainian players don't like us."
"Maybe it'd be logical if Steam closes game sales for Ukraine, as they, by the way, did for Russia… But we have the right to tell the stories of our people. As a game designer and producer I always took maximum care to verify as much as possible that we put in only facts and ideas we know are real," Tolkach argued.
"I don't think you can deny that Western media are flooded with [a lot of] disinformation… So, we have all rights to defend our dignity and show the world how we see this conflict and, more importantly, why it actually began."
ZOV currently has a mixed rating on Steam from the 250 people who have rated it. Several of the comments highlight what appear to be violations of Valve's terms of service and ask for it to be removed from the platform.
Russia has been using games for propaganda purposes since it invaded Ukraine. It was reported in 2023 that Minecraft, Roblox, Russian versions of World of Tanks and World of Warships, Fly Corp, Armored Warfare and War Thunder were all named as games used to spread pro-Kremlin messages in various ways.
A Russian military-endorsed "propaganda game" has just landed on Steam
