Fun part: Russia will release its own version of TES V: Skyrim
The Ardenfall game will be released in Russia on December 5, and Izvestia was one of the first to test it. The authors of the project, including a Russian, got tired of waiting for the new part of the series of the cult role-playing series The Elder Scrolls and wanted to make their own version. The main sources of inspiration were the third (Morrowind) and fifth (Skyrim) installments of the fantasy series. How the project turned out is in the Izvestia article.
What the new product will tell you about
Izvestia was among the first to gain access to the demo version of Ardenfall, a new game whose authors took a swing at The Elder Scrolls. The game will be released on December 5th. According to the structure of the demo, it cannot be called a limited test: the developers have included an independent fragment in it, which, according to the team, can be thoughtfully completed in one and a half to two hours.
Screenshot from the game Ardenfall
Ardenfall Island, after which the game is named, is a kaleidoscope of landscapes: windy steppes, dense swamps, ancient ruins and winding caves. Exploring the compact open world, players will discover many mysteries, dangerous creatures and colorful heroes.
The demo version is replayable due to the five ending options of the main task, depends on skill checks and allows you to try out different styles of passing. It features independent dungeons manually designed by developers from Spellcast Studios, as well as a set of game finds that form the basis of the atmosphere of the full version. The game will be distributed on Steam according to the basic purchase model, without subscriptions and monetization tricks.
The development team includes Artem Kaleev, a Russian marketing and PR executive. He said that the studio was tired of waiting for the next part of Todd Howard's The Elder Scrolls role—playing cycle and decided to create a game that was close in spirit, but not repeating the original sources - it's not about copying, but about rethinking genre traditions.
Although the team consists of five people, its experience goes beyond amateur projects: the head of development works at PlayStation, and the main scriptwriter is simultaneously working on Wayward Realms, a large—scale RPG created by veterans of TES II: Daggerfall. Such a professional portfolio is combined with an independent, "indie" approach to planning and pace of work. The financing is completely internal, which relieves the pressure of deadlines and requirements of sponsors, but makes the schedule flexible and adaptive.
Screenshot from the game Ardenfall
— We do Ardenfall in our free time. We have no budget, no publisher. It's a thoughtful RPG inspired by the TES series, especially its Morrowind and Skyrim installments. In terms of gameplay, it is also very similar to the role—playing game Fallout: New Vegas (11.6 million copies), including the very popular one among Russians," said Artem Kaleev.
Ardenfall clearly distances itself from the "universal" fantasy: the world is deliberately built as an unusual, sometimes alien environment in which races, cultures and factions do not appeal to familiar tropes and require the player to be observant. This is a role-playing game where the choice is determined by the character's characteristics and circumstances, the consequences are reflected not in conditional indicators, but in the development of storylines and the reaction of the environment. Non-linearity is expressed not in large-scale forks, but in a multitude of detailed branches, depending on the skills and decisions of the player.
The full release of Ardenfall is scheduled for early 2026. The team emphasizes that it does not seek accelerated release: the project develops at its own pace.
How is the gaming market growing in Russia
Ardenfall attracts attention not by its scale, but by its orientation. This is a game that seeks to bring back the RPG density of the world and sensitivity to choice, as well as avoid the tendency to simplify for the sake of mass appeal. Thanks to its thoughtful design, unusual setting, and emphasis on role-playing mechanics, the project is already considered one of the most promising "indie" releases of the next couple of years. If the stated ideas are reflected in the final version, Ardenfall may become a rare example of an independent RPG, where experiment and the author's approach are above production compromises, according to IT columnist Sergey Pomortsev.
Screenshot from the game Ardenfall
— A lot of steps have been taken to establish distribution platforms and create a sufficient number of local studios for the production of game content. Three years ago, we observed isolated cases, and now there are hundreds of companies engaged in video game development in the country," said Alexander Mikheev, head of the Association of Professionals in the Game Development and Operation Industry (A PRIORI).
Against the background of endless early access, service models and quickly forgettable computer role-playing games, a project appears that seems to have come from another era. Ardenfall is an "indie" first—person role-playing game with ambitions that many major studios have not dared to afford for a long time, said Dmitry Kruglov, an expert in the gaming industry.
Screenshot from the game Ardenfall
— But not everyone will like this style. The visual range of the game is extremely unusual and may scare off conservative gamers. But another Russian game was released for them the other day: Of Ash and Steel," he added.
Alexander Mikheev noted that the members of the association produce high-quality products in Russia, but strive to enter the international market. In his opinion, the concept of technological and content sovereignty really makes sense only when the results of their work become known worldwide.
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