Euro Truck Simulator 2 Heart of Russia expansion cancelled

Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has had huge repercussions on the games industry. In the world of racing games, Gran Turismo 7 was pulled from sale in Russia. F1 22’s crossplay multiplayer also won’t be available at launch because the team working on it is based in Ukraine.

And now a Russia-themed expansion planned for Euro Truck Simulator 2 has been cancelled due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 Heart of Russia expansion cancelled

Euro Truck Simulator 2’s Heart of Russia expansion was unveiled in March last year. Covering Moscow and beyond, the expansion was going to let players explore a map comparable in size to the Iberia map.

After careful consideration, developer SCS made the decision to cancel the expansion in light of recent events “so that it is not perceived in any way as being in support of or tolerance of the aggression.”

In a blog post, the studio explained it tries to be “as apolitical as possible” as a way of “shielding the global player audience from everyday controversies.”

A lot of work had already gone into the expansion, but it’s an understandable decision. In February, SCS was around six to eight weeks away from completing the project.

“We all felt really good about the result; a lot of effort had been invested in making this new region look truly fantastic in the game. We were absolutely sure that our community, especially those in Russia, would really appreciate that,” SCS wrote.

“Then, all of a sudden, the entire world was rocked by the news that Ukraine had been invaded by Russia. We were in shock.”

SCS continued: “We strongly believe that there is hope for the proud people of Ukraine to prevail and for the suffering to end for all. Injustice cannot and must not win. And, when the time comes for Ukraine to rebuild and heal, then we will endeavour to find a way for our Heart of Russia DLC to play whatever part it can in that healing process, for everyone.”

Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack DLC

To help support Ukraine, SCS released a Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack DLC for Euro Truck Simulator in March, with all profits donated to the People in Need charity helping people affected by the Ukrainian war.

SCS confirmed that 85,000 players have purchased the Ukrainian Paint Jobs Pack DLC so far.