Shortly after the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia in 2022, several video game companies decided to end support for their games and platforms in Russia, as a way of protesting against the actions taken by this country. Two years after this decision, The nation’s president, Vladimir Putin, ordered the creation of his own console.
During the recent meeting on the socio-economic development of Kaliningrad. Putin ordered the creation of a portable and home console, an operating system and a cloud-based store. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was tasked with the project, and You have until June 15, 2024 to submit a clear proposal to the government.
Last month, the Russian Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry, RVI for its Russian acronym, submitted a five-year roadmap to the government that established an 83-point program for the development of video games in the country, which includes reestablishing Relationships with several international gaming funds and organizations with ties to Russia. RVI has stated that a full home game console is planned for 2026-2027.
Putin’s wish is essentially, Have your own Steam and Steam deck for the Russian public, something that sounds impossible. Kommersant, a video game outlet in Russia, spoke to industry figures, including the product director of Lesta Games, a prominent studio in the country, who assured that it will take between five and 10 years for this vision to become a reality, and once that happens, the hardware and software West And will be 15 years behind what the rest of the Japanese companies are doing.
Building a video game console and ecosystem is not only a way to promote the national economy, But it will address the continuing concern of pro-Western content in the hands of Russia’s youthLet us remember that after the start of the war with Ukraine, 70% of the players in this country used pirated software.
While Putin’s proposal is not impossible, history has shown us that such hardware is usually abandoned. You just have to look at the Zibo case, Or any other segment that wants to compete against Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. On a related note, the PlayStation 5 continues to dominate sales.
Editor’s note:
This is a bad move on Russia’s part. Although I believe the government is capable of meeting its goals and creating a console and operating system, they will be a commercial failure. It’s not taking into account what it takes to make it a success, nor would many be willing to give up their Nintendo and Sony consoles.
Through: PC gamer