Russian Army-Backed Military Propaganda Game, Squad 22: ZOV, Listed On Steam

Squad 22: ZOV, a real-time tactics game developed by SPN Studio with support from the Russian Armed Forces, has been listed on Steam in the U.S. and elsewhere, as reported by Simulation Daily. Given it was “developed with information support by The Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” according to the game’s website, this game should be classified as Russian military propaganda. Furthering this point, the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation has released two articles discussing this game.

Squad 22: ZOV is due out this month, but it’s currently listed on Steam as coming soon. The developer said in a recent news release on its website that “it was a long and hard road” to get the game listed on Steam. Considering it is listed on Steam, it must have passed a moderation check of sorts – Game Informer reached out to Steam about this game, its listing, and its self-proclaimed connections to the official Russian military arm, and will update this story if it hears back.

Simulation Daily writes that the X account for SPN Studio includes some “definitely distasteful messaging, like the mention that Ukraine refusing to surrender and give up territory to Russia is an opportunity to ‘have a lot of content to make more missions in our game.’”

As for the game itself, SPN Studio writes on the Steam page that the “tactical action real-time game” was designed “with insights from Russian veterans and active soldiers” and “delivers an authentic and intense infantry warfare experience.” The Steam page also says, “Game is officially recommended by the Russian military for use as a basic infantry tactic manual for cadet and Yunarmy training.”

The Ukranian Center for Countering Disinformation says Squad 22: ZOV is “a key element in brainwashing the population, reflecting the Russian government’s version of events regarding the invasion of Ukraine and glorifying military service,” and that “by pushing war propaganda into all areas of life, Russian authorities aim to normalize the concept of war for their citizens and militarize society to minimize resistance to kremlin policies.” The center also says it has previously reported that Moscow is dedicating significant state resources to develop e-sports as a means of spreading propaganda, especially among youth.

Squad 22: ZOV also features the AI Generated Content Disclosure on its Steam page because “some 2D images in-game were pre-rendered using AI as a base for the work of our 2D artists and later drawn over in order to make them genuine art.”

Elsewhere on the Squad 22: ZOV, alongside statements that connect this game to The Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it also lists consultants as “Hero of the Russian Federation” and “experienced soldier serving and fighting in SMO region since 2014 and up to Autumn 2024.” In this instance, SMO stands for “Special Millitary Operation,” which is a designation used by the Russian military to describe its invasion of Ukraine. 

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