PutinStation? Russia confirms it will develop its own console

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia confirmed that conversations have already started with companies and departments interested in developing a Russian game console. The press office of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce did not specify which companies are interested in the project.

Desktop and Laptop Console

The government aims to organize the production of both desktop and portable games and consoles, as well as creating a platform for distributing cloud games to users. Service that would join VK Play, MTS Fog Play and Plus Gaming, services that already operate in this segment in Russia.

This initiative is related to the panorama of Russia since the beginning of the war with Ukraine, in which several international sanctions were applied to the country led by Vladimir Putin. A Microsoft, for example, announced in 2022 the suspension of sales of products and services to Russia. The idea now is to invest heavily in different areas of the technology sector, including games.

Doubling down on advertising

Games can also act as propaganda for government interests. Putin has already declared that “a game should help a person develop, help him find himself, should help educate a person both within the framework of universal human values ​​and within the framework of patriotism”

According to Artem Starosiek, head of Molfar, a Ukrainian consultancy that analyzes online threats, the Russian government is trying new approaches to promote its regime.

According to Anton Fomin, head of retail projects at the Fplus IT holding in Russia, the viability of a Russian game console will not be as easy as the government wants to make it out to be. “No one has the experience that would allow them to produce their own PlayStation or Xbox console, Fomin highlights.

“These consoles are built on modern hardware and are relatively expensive, but at the same time, they are sold at cost or at a competitive price, as developers receive the majority of the profit from the content”explains Fomin. “The console market is relatively small, but the games market is huge”, he adds.