Russian studio behind Loop Hero encourages players to pirate game due to sanctions
UPDATE: Publisher Devolver Digital responds.
UPDATE 31/3/22: Loop Hero publisher Devolver Digital has responded, confirming it supports Four Quarters encouraging pirating of its game by people affected by economic sanctions.
A statement to PC Gamer reads: "Devolver Digital fully supports Four Quarters as they navigate this incredibly difficult period. We've been communicating consistently with the team to help them wherever possible and were alerted of the statement ahead of time, which we back 100 percent."
ORIGINAL STORY 30/3/22: Four Quarters, the Russian independent studio behind Loop Hero, is encouraging players to pirate its game due to sanctions against Russia limiting its access to technology.
As a post from the studio on Russian social network VK explains, some players may be unable to make payments on Steam, while for Switch owners Nintendo has suspended Russian payments in the eShop.
In response, Four Quarter encouraged players to "raise the pirate flag" and shared a link to a popular torrent of the game (thanks PC Gamer).
The studio followed up with another post after receiving offers of donations, stating there is "nothing wrong with torrents".
"We are very grateful for your support, but the truth is that everything is fine with us, send this support to your family and friends at this difficult time," it said.
The studio has been outspoken in the past, stating on Twitter "we are against war" before the Russian government clamped down on public dissent.
Many game companies have responded to the war in Ukraine by suspending sales of products in Russia, including Microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation, and EA. Epic is donating money raised through Fortnite to humanitarian efforts.
Loop Hero is a retro-styled passive RPG in which a hero repeats a procedurally generated loop to gradually level up. "It's a game about games, a commentary on compulsion as much as it is an adventure in itself," reads our Loop Hero review.