Ukrainian studio Frogwares has been very outspoken about the Russian invasion of its homeland. Workers were forced to flee the Ukrainian capital Kiev (opens in new tab) in May, but just a few days later, Frogwares announced it was starting work on a brand new project (opens in new tab), in part as an act of defiance: “A clear middle finger to those who thought they could just roll into our country hoping to disrupt and ruin our lives,” the studio said. As a reward in an August crowdfunding campaign for a remake of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, the first game from Frogwares, it also offered followers the chance to post messages on artillery shells to be fired at Russian troops — and roundly rejected criticism. (opens in new tab) of the move.
Yesterday, the studio shared a status update on Twitter, not about the state of the game but about life in Ukraine, which the studio said is “pretty hard“the past few months.
“After a summer of relative ‘calm’ and ability to create some kind of routine, the spate of rocket attacks and suicide drones that began in October has taken quite a toll on us mentally,” Frogwares tweeted. “Every morning you wake up hoping it will be a normal day again. Instead, you need it [to] be prepared to be greeted by explosions at any moment.
“When it happens, gather your family and pets and huddle in basements, shelters, or bathrooms. Surrounded by a sea of air raid sirens, flak, and missile blasts, all you have to do is sit and wonder if this is your time. .”
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The studio also noted the “ongoing power cuts” and interruptions to water, heating and internet connections that continue to plague Ukraine. Russia began attacking the country’s infrastructure with drone and missile strikes, mainly Ukraine’s power grid, after Ukrainian counterattacks drove Russian troops out of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Frogwares also had sharp remarks about that.
“Anytime Ukraine achieves a decisive victory on the battlefield (which we all WILL celebrate), we should also be ready for the Russians to lash out at civilian targets with their fragile little egos the next day,” the studio said. tweeted (opens in new tab). “Useless cowards who have no idea how else to win a war they started, so they resort to demoralizing, freezing and starving ordinary people.”
Frogwares said that, from his perspective, the constant attacks on civilians are having the opposite effect of the intended effect: “It reminds us why we should keep resisting, keep fighting and never even consider negotiating.” The studio doesn’t speak for all of Ukraine, of course, but I have to think it’s a fairly widespread feeling.
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“To everyone who has been with us in one way or another during this horrible time, thank you,” Frogwares tweeted (opens in new tab). “We hope you all have a great holiday and we’ll see you all soon in 2023.”
