Representatives of the gaming industry asked the State Duma to introduce measures to support the industry

Representatives of the games industry have proposed to State Duma deputies that several measures be introduced to support the industry. They are proposed to be added to the draft law "On activities for the development and distribution of video games on the territory of the Russian Federation". This is stated in a letter from the Director General of the Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (OVDI) Vasily Ovchinnikov, which was sent to the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Peter Tolstoy. "Izvestia" got acquainted with the appeal on February 10.

Thus, the RVI believes that it is possible to create a Video Game Industry Development Fund for grant and investment support for developers and the video game industry in the country.

"There are many things related to economic, export, technological, marketing (including in foreign markets), personnel components of the industry that also need systemic support. The formation (filling with funds) of such a fund can be interlinked with the volume of the industry, so that along with its growth, the volume of the fund would grow, and the funds could be re-invested in new projects after their return," the letter says.

In addition, it is proposed to legislate tax support measures that have shown their effectiveness. For example, to exempt for 10 years from value-added tax on sales of games and software by domestic video game developers on the Russian market.

"At the moment, this measure is being implemented, but it is temporary in nature and can be canceled at any time. Fixing it as permanent, at the level of law, will be useful for the industry and will allow it to be taken into account in business models to attract investment," Ovchinnikov explained.

Reducing insurance premiums will also have an effect on the industry. The main share of expenses in the production of a video game is the labor fund. Partial removal of labor deductions (or their return) will be a serious economic incentive for developers to take on ambitious projects, explained in the RVI.

In addition, among the proposals is the exemption of video game studios from income tax for five years, which will stimulate the emergence of new studios and work in the Russian jurisdiction for established projects.

At the same time, the RVI believes that it is necessary to introduce requirements for cyber sports competitions held in the Russian Federation, especially with the participation of budget funds; to introduce obligations for each foreign discipline to have one domestic or developed with the participation of Russian companies, on similar disciplines or types of programs with a comparable prize fund.

"This will stimulate the development of domestic cyber sports disciplines, based on the existing system of competitions for more traditional disciplines and specialized athletes held with the support of sports federations and betting companies. Holding events and competitions is an important part of the promotion of competitive online video games", - emphasized Ovchinnikov.

The draft federal law "On activities for the development and distribution of video games in the Russian Federation" was submitted to the State Duma on December 12, 2024. According to the explanatory note, the bill is aimed at regulating social relations arising in connection with the development and distribution of video games on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as to establish restrictions on the implementation of this activity in order to protect morals, rights and legitimate interests of citizens, including informing users of video games about the features of their content.

Earlier, on December 10, it was reported that a third of Russians (28.9%) are fond of cybersports. Among them, the share of men is 61.9%. This is stated in the results of a study of the analytical center of the Association for the Development of Interactive Advertising.