Distributor 1C-SoftClub halts sales of RTS after numerous gamers voice concerns over portrayal of Soviet Union; publisher Sega "investigating these concerns."

After numerous Russian Company of Heroes 2 players expressed issues with the game's portrayal of the Soviet Union in World War II, the game's distributor in the region--1C-SoftClub--has halted sales of the RTS, according to a post on its website (via Videogamer).

The distributor said it was in the midst of raising these concerns to publisher Sega, which itself released a statement on the matter to GameSpot this afternoon.

"Sega and Relic are aware of the press stories circulating concerning Company of Heroes 2 and the historical context of the game from a Russian perspective," reads a line from the statement.

"At this time we cannot offer any further comment, however we are taking this issue very seriously and are investigating these concerns thoroughly with all relevant partners."

Some gamers have taken issue with Company of Heroes 2 and developer Relic Entertainment for perceived Western bias. A Change.org petition has been launched calling on Valve to remove the game from Steam in Commonwealth of Independent States to "protect the young people from that propaganda."

Meanwhile, some user reviews for Company of Heroes 2 have expressed a similar level of anger about the game's subject material. "I've never saw a game about the Great Patriotic War that has such big amount of lie and twisting of the historical facts," reads a line from one review.

"No history, no truth," reads another.

Company of Heroes 2 launched at the end of June and sold 380,000 copies in five days. For more, check out GameSpot's review.

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