Creating large-scale games is expensive, so using taxpayer money for this is a "questionable story," according to Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on Information Policy of the Russian Federation.
"Smuta"
Gorelkin shared his opinion in an interview with TASS. He pointed out that in the current economic climate, it is more reasonable for businesses to finance major games. Corporations could allocate funds privately or create a special fund, for instance.
"Why shouldn't Gazprom develop a [football simulator], especially since they arguably have the most successful football team in recent years? Why shouldn't Rostec develop something related to tanks or the defense industry?" the deputy stated.
Interestingly, Gorelkin later focused specifically on the topic of creating a Russian football simulator. During his conversation with TASS, he described the development of such a game as "not a particularly difficult task," especially if the project is supported by Gazprom. The deputy is convinced that in this scenario, creating an analog of FIFA is possible in a relatively short time.
Additionally, Gorelkin urged Russian developers to more actively translate their games into other languages to achieve greater popularity abroad. He also suggested that the Internet Development Institute allocate funds not only for the direct production of games (presumably small ones) but also for their localization.