National significance point: the first game about the railways of the Russian Empire is being created in the Russian Federation

Russian students create an educational computer game "Railways of the Russian Empire". The project will be the first in the Russian Federation, covering the period from 1837 to 1917 and dedicated to the formation of the country's railway network in the 19th century. The development combines elements of strategy, simulator and interactive encyclopedia. The authors expect not only interest from gamers, but also an educational effect, but experts warn against the risk of superficially reproducing historical processes.

The first strategy about Imperial locomotives

The Railways of the Russian Empire will be the first domestic project in the genre of taikun strategy with management elements, dedicated to the formation of the country's railway network in the 19th century, starting with the opening of the Tsarskoye Selo railway in 1837. The development is being carried out by a team of graduates of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, as well as students of Moscow Polytechnic University and Oryol State University. The team has applied for funding from the Internet Development Institute, where the game participates in a competitive selection process.

Screenshot from the game "Railways of the Russian Empire"

Photo: 3nix

"The user will have to lay lines, manage resources and make strategic decisions that affect the economic and territorial development of the country," explained Ivan Chubov, project manager and founder of 3nix Studio.

According to him, the team focuses on historical authenticity: real documents, archival materials, as well as excerpts from newspapers and magazines of that era will appear in the game.

Bash is not yours: the Russian game about SVO has become popular in Ukraine

What attracted the strategy about the events of the beginning of the special operation and why the scandal broke out around it

Special attention is paid to key government decisions that determined the development of the industry. The draft will reflect the reforms of Alexander II, including the decree of February 7, 1857 on the creation of a network of private railways, as well as the policy of Alexander III, which in the 1880s began a massive purchase of private lines by the state and approved the General Charter of Railways (1885). Historical figures such as Nicholas I and Mikhail Khilkov, Minister of Railways in 1895-1905, will also appear among the characters.

— The educational component of the project is implemented in the format of an embedded encyclopedia and an AI consultant. The user can contact the system at any time with questions about both the history of railway construction and game mechanics. Similar AI assistants are already being used on the project's website, where they help track the progress of development and provide background information," said Ivan Chubov.

Screenshot from the game "Railways of the Russian Empire"

Photo: 3nix

To improve historical accuracy, the team cooperates with the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation, ordering archival materials and consulting on reconstruction of events, personalities and architectural solutions. This allows us to recreate not only the technical side of construction, but also the broader cultural context of the era.

The studio emphasizes that the game performs a socially significant function. It is aimed at popularizing the history of the Russian engineering school, as well as the contribution of scientists and government officials to the development of transport and industry. Through game mechanics, users will be able to track how the railways contributed to economic growth, cultural exchange, and integration of the regions of the Russian Empire. The first demo version of the project is planned to be released before the end of 2026.

March news: the most anticipated games of the first month of spring

John Carpenter's Zombie Killers, The Mongolian Courier and other releases

A museum exhibit of the digital age

Industry experts note that the topic of railways has long remained underestimated in the Russian gaming industry, despite the steady interest of the audience.

Screenshot from the game "Railways of the Russian Empire"

Photo: 3nix

Alexander Artyomov, the author of the Game Supervision program, emphasizes that this genre has a well—established fan base, but domestic developers have so far limited themselves to small formats such as mobile or browser-based projects.

— Full-fledged games were created mainly abroad, but they did not take into account Russian specifics. At the same time, the interest in such projects in our country is obvious: some of the audience is attracted by train management and logistics, others by economic strategy, and others by the historical aspect," he explained.

Mikhail Lisetsky, General Director of the Streamfest and Game festivals, called the development of railways an important but insufficiently told part of industrial history. In his opinion, the key task of the developers is to go beyond the visual simulator and show the connection of engineering solutions with the historical context, politics and features of the era.

"Combining the mechanics of infrastructure management with elements of historical research can allow the project to occupy a niche between educational products and classical economic strategies designed for a mature and prepared audience," he believes.

Screenshot from the game "Railways of the Russian Empire"

Photo: 3nix

At the same time, the expert believes that the authors risk going into surface simulation: locomotives, rails, sleepers, terraforming endless spaces. He calls this approach beautiful, but without ideas.

Games about railways form a separate genre with a wide international audience, especially with a high level of realism, said Igroprom producer Andrey Pushkarev. According to him, the project has the potential to gather a significant number of users even at the waiting stage. In addition, the educational component of the game can be used in educational programs.

The project is scheduled to be presented to the general public for the first time on June 13 as part of the Game Developers Conference, which, after a 13-year hiatus, will be held in Moscow at the RTU MIREA site with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.