Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's government to explore the development of a series of homegrown consoles. The devices would presumably aim to compete with PlayStation and Xbox within Russian borders.
Russia has taken issue with Western games and developers in recent years, leading the country to threaten the banning of certain titles like Apex Legends and The Last of Us Part 2. This is due to what the Russian government perceives as pro-LGBTQ messaging, which it openly opposes. In February, Russia's Organization for Developing the Video Game Industry (RVI) laid out a long-term plan that ended with the creation of a fully capable gaming console in 2026-2027. It seems that the Russian government may be attempting to follow through with this plan.
Following a meeting on the economic development of Kaliningrad, Putin requested government officials to research the requirements for domestic production of stationary and portable gaming consoles. The Russian president also ordered the planning of an appropriate operating system and cloud system for the consoles. The deadline for these plans is set for June 15, 2024, and Russia's prime minister was designated as the official overseeing these tasks. A Kremlin spokesperson confirmed that the orders intend to develop Russia's homegrown gaming industry.
The previously mentioned RVI said earlier in 2024 that it aims to improve relations with various international gaming organizations linked to Russia, as well as lay a foundation for the development of domestic games going into the future. Similar strategies have been announced in recent years, like when Russia outlined plans to develop an Unreal Engine competitor in 2022. It's not yet certain whether the newest orders will result in anything concrete, but additional news may be released later this year.
The Russian government's issues with the Western gaming industry aren't limited to developers, as a Russian court fined Twitch in 2023 for spreading what it called fake
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