Mundfish is a video game development studio founded in 2017 by Artem Galeev, Robert Bagratuni, Evgenia Sedova, and Oleg Gorodishenin. The studio officially describes itself as headquartered in Cyprus with a team from ten countries including Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Georgia, Israel, Armenia, and Serbia. They are best known for Atomic Heart, a first-person shooter set in an alternate history Soviet Union released February 21, 2023. By May 2025 the game had surpassed 10 million players worldwide. A sequel, Atomic Heart 2, is in development alongside three additional unannounced projects.

Mundfish Origin Story

The Founding

Evgenia Sedova and Robert Bagratuni met at a company called Newmedia Stars and worked on joint projects before joining with Artem Galeev and Oleg Gorodishenin to found Mundfish. The studio began developing Atomic Heart almost immediately. In 2018, when the game was first announced via a teaser trailer, the studio had just over 20 employees. The announcement generated enormous interest and significant skepticism, with many questioning whether the game was actually real given that it came from an unknown studio with no shipping history. Mundfish spent the next five years proving it was real.

The Controversy

Mundfish has faced significant controversy primarily related to the Russian origins of its founders and investors. Despite positioning itself as a Cypriot international studio, the company initially operated in Moscow and several key team members are Russian. One of its primary investors, GEM Capital, is based in Russia and was founded by a former executive of Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company. When questions arose about the studio’s relationship with the Russian government, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Mundfish declined to take a public position, stating they do not comment on politics. This response drew widespread criticism especially given that Atomic Heart released almost exactly one year after the invasion began. The studio was also accused of collecting user data and sharing it with Russian state authorities including the FSB, allegations Mundfish denied. Since February 2024 the studio has removed mentions of its Russian office from its website and emphasizes its international composition. Whether you decide to purchase and play Atomic Heart is a personal decision that involves factors beyond the quality of the game itself.

Mundfish Games

Atomic Heart (2023)

Atomic Heart is a first-person shooter set in an alternate history version of the Soviet Union in 1955, where polymer technology has allowed humanity to achieve utopian levels of scientific advancement and robot-assisted living. When the facility controlling the robots malfunctions and triggers a violent uprising, you play as P-3, a Soviet special agent sent to investigate and contain the situation. The game draws obvious comparisons to BioShock in its approach, using a politically loaded alternate history setting to explore themes of utopia, control, and technological overreach. The combat system combines conventional firearms, energy weapons, and melee with a polymer glove that gives P-3 abilities including telekinesis and cryogenic attacks. Reviews were mixed to positive depending on platform, with PC receiving more favorable coverage than console versions. The writing and some gameplay elements including fetch quests were commonly criticized alongside widespread praise for the world design, visual ambition, and audio. Composer Mick Gordon contributed to the soundtrack. The game features English dubbing from a cast that includes Matthew Mercer.

What’s Next for Mundfish

Atomic Heart 2 is confirmed and in development. Mundfish has also announced three additional unannounced projects, suggesting the studio has expanded its ambitions significantly on the back of Atomic Heart’s commercial success. Whether the sequel addresses the criticisms of the original’s writing and pacing will determine whether Mundfish can grow from a one-game studio into a sustained presence in the industry.