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- One Watchman Theater: a Russian game about the zombie apocalypse has become a hit in the West
One Watchman Theater: a Russian game about the zombie apocalypse has become a hit in the West
The Russian Quarantine Zone project: In the first days after its release, The Last Check attracted tens of thousands of players and showed high sales worldwide. In the first three days, more than 150,000 copies were sold, a collaboration was held with the cult horror Dead by Daylight, and the peak online traffic on the Steam platform exceeded 31,000 people. Earlier, other projects, such as Cage, MiSide and Atomic Heart, were successful in the West. Izvestia found out what Russian products systematically fascinate foreigners with.
A shaky path to success
In the first 72 hours of the sale of the Russian video game Quarantine Zone: The Last Check from Brigada Games studio exceeded 150 thousand copies. The project was released on Steam and PC Game Pass on January 13. According to VG Insights and PlayTracker, the bulk came from Western markets, and the total sales in the first few days could exceed 200 thousand copies. The independent service Gamalytic estimates the number of game owners at 290-300 thousand people after the first 48 hours.
The game combines elements of simulation, management and base defense in a post-apocalyptic setting with a first-person view. Initially, the project was developed as a more neutral warehouse management simulator, but during production the concept was changed towards a more intense theme.
Brigada Games CEO Stanislav Starykh noted that until the end of 2025, the game had almost no large-scale marketing, and audience interest was formed mainly due to the demo version. By the time the publishing agreement was signed, the project had collected about 1 million additions to the Steam wish list.
— We were looking for a concept according to which they would want to show the game on streams, because this is the main channel for attracting players, — he clarified in a conversation with Izvestia.
The publisher was the American company Devolver Digital from Texas. She provided Izvestia with a copy of the game for review. Currently, the developers are focusing on the technical refinement and stabilization of the project and are preparing plans for its further development, according to the studio head, the roadmap is expected to appear in early February.
Oleg Dobroshtan, an independent consultant to the gaming industry, believes that the success of the game fits into the general trend: projects of teams with Russian roots are able to compete in the international market on a par with games from other countries, which is confirmed by a number of recent releases that have received recognition outside the CIS.
— This trend has long been confirmed by such projects, which have also achieved success outside the CIS. Among the most striking of the recent ones are Cage, MiSide, No, I'm not a Human and Atomic Heart," he stressed.
Russian is the third most popular language on the Steam platform after English and Chinese, and also retains its status as an international language. The decision to add him to the game by the American publisher is quite logical, said Artem Koblov, creative director of perelesoq studio.
Expert reactions to the new product
Experts generally associate interest in the Quarantine Zone: The Last Check has a combination of a well-chosen genre, release time and active distribution through streaming platforms, however, they emphasize that the project cannot yet be considered fully formed.
Alexander Artyomov, head of the Rossigrnadzor project and creative director of Navigator of the Gaming World, draws attention to a genre niche: games in which a player makes fateful decisions for others, exploiting the so-called Vakhter syndrome, consistently find a response from the audience.
"This format allows you to retain interest even in the presence of technical or visual limitations, and the well—chosen moment of release enhanced the overall effect," the expert added.
Oleg Dobroshtan believes that the project was helped by a combination of simulator elements, base construction and defense, as well as a relatively smooth gameplay pace and a variety of visual solutions. However, he stressed that the interest in the game does not negate the need for further development and refinement.
Roman Konovalov, an expert on video games, gives a more restrained assessment. He recalled that the Quarantine Zone is in early access and the current state of the project leaves significant room for improvement.
— The game still feels raw: there are noticeable roughness in the balance and mechanics, it really needs extra time to polish. But at least the authors are honest with the audience and don't sell QZ as a finished project," he explained.
Alexandra Ivanitskaya, founder of Welsharess Studio, adds that the project uses simple but understandable solutions that are easy to read by players.
"The mechanics of the watchman gives the player a sense of control and power for literally minimal resources," she notes.
She recalled that Russian games are often among the leaders of the charts: just remember 2024, when sales of the first part of the game "Russ vs Lizards" exceeded 725 thousand copies.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
