The Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (ODVGI) criticized the bill “On the Activities of Developing and Distributing Video Games on the Territory of the Russian Federation.” Representatives from the organization stated that the initiative would harm the domestic game development sector instead of aiding it.
According to the ODVGI's official statement, the introduction of the bill was an unpleasant surprise. The organization considers its requirements to be too stringent.
“Furthermore, the bill contains clear contradictions with presidential decrees aimed at supporting the industry, as well as with the work of the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation,” added the ODVGI.
One of the issues with the bill, according to the ODVGI, is its prohibitive nature. Specifically, the ODVGI is concerned about the requirement for Russian users to authenticate through a government portal.
The organization is confident that foreign platforms will not comply with this, which could result in their being blocked. If this happens, both Russian developers and players could suffer.
The ODVGI also raised concerns about sections of the bill related to mandatory negative labeling of games and its assessment. In the organization's opinion, the current wording is opaque and could lead to further problems.
“We firmly believe that this bill should be developed in close cooperation with the industry and professional associations. […] Unfortunately, the current initiative sets us back by several years. The efforts made by state institutions, including the President, the Government, and Russian developers, are not entirely nullified, but significantly undermine everything we've managed to rebuild over this time,” the organization stated in their declaration.