There have been numerous game announcements over the past week. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, which some have criticized for lacking substance, took center stage, alongside showcases from Ubisoft and Microsoft. The 10th anniversary of the “PC Gaming Show” also revealed several new titles.
Among these announcements was “Level Zero: Extraction,” a PvPvE extraction shooter featuring a unique twist: players face off against hostile aliens sensitive to UV light, blending survival horror with first-person shooter mechanics.
Currently, a free demo is available on Steam, likely as part of Valve’s June 2024 Next Fest. Despite its initial promise, the developers have decided to ban all Russian players, making it a title to approach with caution if not outright avoid.
The developers of “Level Zero: Extraction,” DogHowl Games, are based in Ukraine. Valve’s Steam store provides developers and publishers with various options to modify their store listings and control the countries where their games are sold.
For example, companies like tinyBuild or DogHowl Games could have simply prohibited the sale of the game in Russia, much like how Sony have removed the ability to purchase their recent PC releases in over 170 different countries.
However, DogHowl Games chose a different approach. They released the demo in Russia specifically to identify and ban players who download it from
This decision clearly reflects the ongoing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. It also highlights a broader issue with live service titles, where developers can arbitrarily ban users from specific countries for any reason they choose outside of a users control.
For example, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CD Projekt Red, influenced by Western ESG agendas, prohibited the sale of games like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 in Russia on digital platforms such as Valve’s Steam Store.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian localized version of Cyberpunk 2077’s “2.0” update included anti-Russian rhetoric and graffiti in-game. After users discovered this, CDPR apologized, claiming the targeting of Russians was unintentional. This excuse is complete and utter bullshit.
If the developers are banning Russian players, why allow them to download the game in the first place? Such decisions were made with clear intent, as Russian players are given the impression they can play, only to be immediately banned upon skipping the introduction movie.
This approach by DogHowl Games is intentionally malicious and vindictive, specifically targeting Russian consumers for political reasons. Despite the substantial funneling of taxpayer money from America to Ukraine for the supposed “war effort,” it seems some developers feel justified in prejudicially targeting an entire country.
As gaming increasingly shifts to a digital-only landscape, the potential for arbitrary bans without justification becomes a concerning reality.
As you’d expect from hateful developers who seemingly can’t handle civil discourse or pushback towards their political messages, the Steam community forum of Level Zero: Extraction is awash with users complaining about such bans, only to have threads locked and removed.
Considering that game bans issued by developers cannot be overruled, attempting to resolve such an issue through official channels like Steam support is futile. DogHowl Games is clearly targeting and mocking Russian players, as the only way for them to play the game is by using a VPN to spoof their location.
This action breeds more animosity and will likely deter people from other regions from purchasing this generic extraction shooter. If the developers had simply restricted Russian users from obtaining the game via the Steam store, it probably wouldn’t have raised much of an issue.
Despite many Russian gamers being unable to afford games and often resorting to piracy, DogHowl Games chose to allow Russians to download the game only to ban them based on their geographical IP address. This move is both malicious and unnecessary, it was done purely to spark controversy and provide hysterical laughter from the developers themselves.
Modern gaming is rapidly becoming a dystopian reality reminiscent of “1984.” Your livelihood can be destroyed over an offensive post from decades ago; you can be doxxed and canceled for not adhering to specific social agendas. Gamers can no longer insult or harass others in-game, as voice and text chats are monitored. We’re forced to treat everyone with politeness and kindness, yet you can still be wrongfully banned from accessing or playing a game due to your nationality.
