Miracles on mirages: Russian video games rely on patriotism
From November 27 to November 30, the capital hosted the first Moscow International Video Game Week, where, among other things, it was possible to get acquainted with the main future domestic game hits. "The Adventures of Toto", "Gostomel Bogatyrs", "Grandfather", "Bunny" and "Wizard of Spells" are just a few of the new products that were shown to users. The Izvestia correspondent was the first to play video games that tell about important historical, cultural and political events for Russians.
What was shown at the Moscow Video Game Week
The Moscow International Video Game Week was held at three venues at once. At Skolkovo, the main program part is combined with the presentation of the Moscow Cluster of Video Games and Animation. E-sports tournaments and a "Video Game Night" were held on the territory of VK Play Arena, where legendary musician Tony Watkins performed with his rock band. And the RuStore Conference ceremony took place in the RBC Event Center.
Prizes were also distributed. Tanks Blitz, a dynamic action game with a thoughtful tactical component and a stable online community, was recognized as the best mobile game of the year. In the "Multiplayer of the Year" category, BLACK RUSSIA won, a major online role-playing game that is regularly expanded and offers users a modern open world with familiar social mechanics.
The title of "Indie Breakthrough" was awarded to Vasilisa and Baba Yaga, a compact author's project that carefully works with motifs of Slavic folklore and visual stylistics. Among the simulators, CarX Drift Racing 2 became the best — a race with realistic drift physics and extensive car customization options. "The World of Housewives" has been noted as a family hit due to its calm pace, friendly design and a story focused on the joint play of children and adults.
One of the creators of Vasilisa, the Kin-Dza-Dza Games production center, informed Izvestia about the imminent launch of the special project "GameDev Staples", a series of interviews with top experts in the Russian gaming industry. Its author and presenter will be Alexey Yarovit, founder and head of Kin-Dza-Dza Games. The guests will be key figures of the Russian game developer, ironically referred to as "staples" in the podcast title.
— The project is being implemented with the support and on the basis of RTU MIREA. Among the first guests will be speakers such as Vasily Maguryan, Vyacheslav Makarov, Oleg Dobroshtan and many other respected people in the industry," Yarovit said.
Chinese developer Yang Chu from Black Wind Games studio, in a conversation with Izvestia, noted that cooperation with Russian RuStore is one of the priorities for China.
— In my opinion, the store has already become a real leader in the video game market in the Russian Federation. This is the third time I have flown to Russia. I have been to Murmansk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. I am very attracted to Russian culture, and I will come again," Yang Chu said. His project Cyber Evolution won in the nomination "Best Action Movie".
Oleg Afanasyev, RuStore's product director, is convinced that Russians are very fond of national games, which is why, for example, "Russ vs Lizards" is such a great success. At the same time, he told Izvestia that international trends are not alien to the players.
— Globalization leads to the fact that everything begins to dissolve, everything becomes on average the same and not particularly bright. And fans of Russian games, the cultural code, bring us back to something familiar. For example, I have a wonderful reinterpretation of the Loom game on my phone, which turned into a "Hedgehog in the Fog." And I like him much more than the foreign version, this character is familiar and familiar to me," said Afanasyev.
Major game premieres
One of the main announcements was the premiere of the game "Toto's Journey". In it, the dog embarks on his big solo adventure and must reconcile the animal kingdom, which is at odds, beavers with capybaras. The humorous adventure for the whole family used a complex scheme to digitize the movements and behavior of a real Jack Russell Terrier dog.
— The dog is very lively, she is ready to help and develops ideas of selflessness and hope. It is a live dog that is able to convey the emotions that we received at the EOM as feedback from the players," said Alina Limonova, the game's marketer.
The authors reported that the demo version of the game will be publicly available in the summer of 2026, and the release itself is planned in the fall. They named gamers from 18 to 45 years old as the main audience.
Screenshot of the game Toto's Journey
The developers from Game Art Pioneers showed gamers fragments of the final episode of "Bunny", which will be released on December 5, 2025. According to Gleb Kadomtsev, the producer of the project, the Russian visual novel in the horror genre has already fallen in love with the Russian audience and is now conquering the Asian market. It has recently received a Korean localization.
The creators of the game "Grandfather" told the editorial staff how they used neural networks to find illustrations of a frightening and abandoned village that formed the basis of their horror story, a confrontation with a sinister Grandfather in the Russian countryside.
— We selected photos that were run through various algorithms. And then we made our own three—dimensional models based on such references," said Mikhail Kovalenko, the creator of the game.
The creator of the "Spellmaster" (Spellmeister) Alexandra Ivanitskaya showed the editorial staff her game and talked about cooperation with universities and museums. The educational and musical project will be shown at various venues in 2026. She also said that she is working on a second project about the adventures of a cat in the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums.
At the stand of the Institute of Business and Design, the latest version of "At one o'clock in the morning Moscow Time" from the reputable game designer Yan Basharin was shown. He shared with the editors information that the main work on the project is nearing completion, but the release will take place no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026.
Izvestia was the first to get acquainted with the "Gostomel heroes". The project is released on February 24, 2026.
— Our "Cutting Edge" strategy was praised primarily for the fact that the atmosphere of the battle is very well conveyed, in addition, the player has to think about things unusual for him in other games, such as the logistics of the battle, the need to withdraw troops for rotation, etc. In Gostomelsky Bogatyrs, we added completeness to the display of the battle. Many of those who play the game will add to their knowledge of what happened near Kiev in February-March 2022," said game director Vitaly Shutov.
He clarified that strategy enthusiasts of all ages remain the main audience. And the chosen topic affects all conscious Russians, including those who are designed to interest and attract new people to the camp, even those who have never launched anything but militants before, Shutov noted.
Technology was also needed at the exhibition — the newest humanoid robot assembled in Russia walked through the vast halls of Skolkovo, as well as the legendary character Piggy, who communicated with everyone and answered tricky questions from journalists.
The trend towards cultural expansion
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, speaking at the opening of the IOM, noted that more and more young people are getting involved in video games.
— Moscow has a great potential to create its own video game industry. Together, in consultation with you, we have created such a hub, a video game production center, in fact, the center of the Moscow video industry. It has a first-class infrastructure and a good tax regime. And this is only the first step towards the creation of this center. At the second stage, we will launch even more than 70 thousand square meters. m. It will be a media center, an animation center, a synergy of video games, animations, and media. A unique hub is being created that will be competitive not only in Russia, of course, but also in the world. I don't think there are many such centers in the world," Sergei Sobyanin said.
Sergey Sobyanin
The Institute for the Development of the Internet will develop cooperation with the cluster of video games and animation. Andrey Voronkov, Deputy General Director of the IRI, is counting on co-financing from the cluster and expresses the hope that the new site will ensure a full cycle of game production in the Russian Federation.
According to Vasily Ovchinnikov, the head of the leading association of RVR, the video game week was an excellent opportunity to show both ready-made projects and bold experiments by Russian developers.
— Such events are important not only as a showcase of games, but also as a place for the exchange of experience between developers, investors and experts, which in the long run helps to create better projects. As an example, as part of Video Game Week, Indie Go signed up to invest in a game that uses AI to run game NPCs. In fact, this is the first major industry event held with the support of government agencies, and already at a high level," he explained.
The Institute for Internet Development and the Agency for Creative Industries (AKI) of Moscow have signed a cooperation agreement.
A large-scale AKI survey showed that 59% of Russians surveyed (aged 35 to 45) have a positive attitude towards video games based on the cultural code of the country and its history. The most important element of such games for Russians is the authenticity of historical events — 73% of respondents chose this option. 55% of the respondents named the mandatory presence of the country's cultural traditions in the games, as was done, for example, in the games "Zemsky Sobor" and "Three Heroes".
— We are confident that video games can not only entertain, but also generate interest in the history and culture of the country. Our new project from the Il-2 series, Odessa and Leningrad— was created with special attention to historical authenticity so that players could immerse themselves in the key events of the Great Patriotic War. Research shows that a significant part of Russians believe that such games help young people become interested in history, and this is one of the main objectives of our project," said Daniil Tuseev, producer of the Il—2 series of games and speaker of the business program of the Moscow International Video Game Week.
Izvestia will monitor the release of the games that were presented at the event. Detailed reviews will be published on the best ones.
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