The founder of the Netpeak Group holding, Artem Borodatyuk, explained why developers from Firaxis Games should add Ukraine to the game Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. He called on people to join the working group that will address this issue.
The founder of the Netpeak Group holding, Artem Borodatyuk, explained why developers from Firaxis Games should add Ukraine to the game Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. He called on people to join the working group that will address this issue.
The new part of the famous Sid Meier’s Civilization global strategy series was released on February 11, 2025.
«The game that teaches you to think globally, analyze historical processes, and understand the development of civilizations is back with updated graphics and an expanded list of nations. But there is one „but“ — Ukraine is still not there», — Artem Borodatyuk described the project on LinkedIn.
He pointed out that instead, in the games of the series there are Poland, Hungary, Georgia, Scythia, and even Russia, which «in the game appropriated the Ukrainian Cossack as a unique military unit, and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra as a unique building».
«This is not just a detail, but a distortion of history that contributes to the erasure of Ukrainian cultural and historical subjectivity», — noted the founder of Netpeak Group.
In his opinion, Ukraine has every reason to be represented among civilizations, because its history covers the periods from Kyivan Rus, one of the largest states in Europe in the 9th–13th centuries, to the Cossack state of the 17th century; from brief independence in 1918 to the struggle for survival in the 20th century and the modern war for freedom.
«Without exaggeration, Ukraine has influenced world history, giving the world outstanding scientists, artists, engineers, and statesmen. This is important not only from the point of view of game fairness, but also as part of the information struggle in the world, where Ukraine is fighting for its place not only on the battlefield, but also in the minds of millions of people around the world», — notes Artem Borodatyuk.
He added that in the film «One Summer in Ukraine,» a volunteer of the International Legion GUR says that he learned about Ukraine from the game STALKER.
«People who came to fight for us and our interests first learned about our country thanks to the game. Adding Ukraine to Civilization VII is not only justice, but also a necessity. This is an opportunity for millions of people to learn about the true history of our country, and not see it only through Moscow’s optics,» explained the founder of Netpeak Group.
Artem Borodatyuk believes that those who care about this issue should unite to find an opportunity to convey to developer Firaxis Games and publisher 2K Games the importance of including Ukraine in the list of civilizations in the game. He urged those who want to join the working group that will deal with this issue to contact him in private messages.
Recall that on the eve of the release of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Firaxis Games introduced «Russian modern civilization». In the game, the Russians have such factions as Dusha, Prosveshchenie, Samoderzhaviye and General Moroz, and they are led by Catherine II, who destroyed the Hetmanate and the Sich.
This outraged Ukrainian players, who called on the developers to consider the context of the time in which they are releasing the game — the 3rd anniversary of the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
