App2Top concludes the summary of 2024 with gaming (or gaming-related) teams and experts. For the second time in this year’s summary, we spoke with Alexander Mikheev for the final installment. This time, he answered questions as the CEO of APRIORI.
How did the year turn out for the organization? What have you achieved that you’d like to highlight?
2024 was a busy year for APRIORI in terms of events. We were able to strengthen our position as one of the leading organizations connecting game developers and publishers in Russia.
We are particularly proud of the extensive work done in preparing, developing, and executing an experiment on voluntary game labeling.
A permanent working group was created, comprising government bodies and industry representatives, including major developers and associations like APRIORI, Lesta Games, Astrum Entertainment, 1C Games, and platforms VK Play and RuStore.
The experiment was the first step toward self-regulation of the unified gaming industry and indicated that the market had matured and understood the need for transparent communication among all its participants.
The voluntary labeling went live at the end of October, and although the experiment is not yet concluded, the results so far are promising: 10% of VK Play developers labeled over 600 games. It's early for final conclusions, but the preliminary outcomes look promising, and of course, the working group members are always open to dialogue.
It’s also encouraging that the government is willing to listen to the gaming industry during the work on legislation for game regulation, and I think the voluntary labeling step played a significant role, as lawmakers see the industry's readiness for dialogue. APRIORI will strive to make regulatory mechanisms as comfortable as possible.
The number of partners and association members has increased, and several major conferences, including panels at CIPR, RIF, Russian Creative Week, "Cloud City," "Finnopolis," several BRICS summits, and "RED EXPO," were held with our active support.
How has the Russian gaming market changed this year?
Interest in projects with Russian roots is growing, and government support (such as grants from IRI) is now reality, not novelty. More domestic studios are emerging, ready to experiment with genres and mechanics. Their professionalism is growing, and it shows. Considering the number of good releases in 2024, there’s a solid positive feeling about the industry’s development. It's too early to call it a renaissance, but there are signs that the industry is returning to the market size of 2021.
What trends do you expect to see in the Russian gaming industry next year?
A significant trend we foresee is the involvement of new specialists from related industries like film and animation. This can enrich projects in visual and narrative quality while gaming mechanics penetrate deeper into non-gaming sectors. Gamification is already being used in banking apps and urban infrastructure interaction, and this segment will undoubtedly continue to grow.
What are the organization’s plans for the next year?
We plan to continue developing infrastructure and support for domestic game development. Our plans include new educational initiatives and further work on shaping the gaming industry landscape. Additionally, we will maintain dialogue with the government – it is now an integral part of the game development and operation industry.