Russia could spend billions to protect its games

THE Russian government met with local game developers to discuss investment via grants for the country’s own game engine.

While many games are built on popular engines such as Unreal Engine 5 and Unity, Russian developers are reportedly scared that they will lose access to this software.

If Russia were to develop its own game engine, Russia’s large gaming industry could become self-sufficient.

This option is apparently being looked into by the government as many companies shut down access in Russia due to the war.

As reported by Kommersant, and translated by GLHF, developers were looking into grants worth “billions of Rubles” in order to build their own game engine.

A spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Digital Development told the source that it is:

“Discussing with relevant market players the issue of the need for state support in terms of creating their own game engine and its relevant forms.”

So far, the plan is only in the discussion stages, and no money or development appears to have begun.

The Russian Foundation for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) usually provides funding for these kinds of developments.

The average project it funds receives between ₽20-500million (£300k-£7.3million).

However, according to Russian IT company Innotech, large projects such as this one could receive a grant up to ₽6billion (£90million).

This meeting follows another between Russian developers and the government concerning economic sanctions being placed on the country.

Due to restrictions placed on the nation, sectors such as the tech industry are looking at ways to become more independent. 

The gaming industry has a big influence in Russia. Russia was the first country to recognise esports as real sports, back in 2001.

Many large game development companies have studios in Russia.

Saber Interactive, developers of World War Z, Space Marine 2, and many more,, and Ubisoft, creator of Assassin’s Creed, both have major operations in the country. 

Developers all over the world have begun taking a step back from the game engine Unity, following the announcement that it will merge with ironSource.

IronSource, is known for developing malware installer installCore, and putting microtransactions into mobile apps.

CEO John Riccitiello was caught saying that those not thinking about monetisation of their games are “f***ing idiots”.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.