The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation has prepared a draft law outlining measures to support the Russian gaming industry. This was reported by the Interfax agency, which has reviewed the document.
“Tales of Old Rus”
What support measures are mentioned in the draft law:
- full or partial funding for game development or the provision of “other financial support.” Funds are proposed to be allocated in the form of subsidies from the federal budget, regional budgets, or local budgets;
- tax benefits for gaming companies;
- assistance with the training of gaming specialists;
- support for educational programs related to game development;
- conducting scientific and analytical research in the field of games.
Additionally, some games will begin to be granted the status of “national.” For such projects, the ministry proposes to additionally compensate for marketing costs and provide special conditions for distribution in Russian services. Their developers will also be given access to archival documents and cultural assets.
It is reported that games that contribute to the “popularization of Russian culture and/or history, and/or traditional Russian spiritual and moral values” will be eligible for this status. Studios are required to use domestic databases and software, and at least half of their employees must be Russian citizens. The maximum allowable amount of foreign investment in game development is 50%.