Last fall, a group of Russian deputies proposed defining at the state level which industries are considered creative and how to regulate them. Yesterday, on August 8, the relevant bill was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian gaming companies have become more active in hiring, writes the newspaper “Kommersant” citing data from HeadHunter. From January to July 2024, they published 5.5 thousand job vacancies on the platform—23% more than in the first seven months of 2023.

At the latest plenary session, members of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved a bill that regulates creative industries in the country. The gaming industry is also included among these industries.

The service “Yookassa” and the AGAVA studio (who assisted in the development of the games “Vasilisa and Baba Yaga,” BUKI, and Cocktail Island) analyzed the spending of Russian gamers in games from January to June 2024. Below are the findings from the study.

The M.Video-Eldorado Group shared data on console sales in Russia for the first half of the year. According to them, the demand for consoles in the country is growing at a tremendous pace.

The news agency “RIA Novosti” examined data from China’s statistical service. It has been revealed that last month Russia acquired various gaming devices, including consoles, from China totaling $20.2 million. This is a record amount.

At the end of May, sources from Izvestia reported that the Russian company “ROSA” is working on a portable gaming console similar to the Steam Deck. It has now become known that the company plans to spend a billion rubles on creating the device.

A representative of “Rostelecom” told the newspaper “Kommersant” that the company is interested in creating a Russian gaming console. They are considering its development “as a promising business direction.”

The draft law by Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development also mentions strengthening the regulation of the video game market. Among the initiatives is mandatory cooperation of foreign developers with the Unified Gambling Regulator (ЕРАИ).

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.

Smart Ranking published a list of 49 Russian gaming companies that earned the most in 2023. Lesta Games topped the ranking, earning revenue of 19.2 billion rubles.

Alexander Mikheev, CEO of the Association of Industry Professionals in Game Operation and Development (APRION), told the newspaper “Izvestia” that the start of a voluntary experiment to label games in the Russian market is planned for early fall. He did not specify an exact date but indicated that the initiative will begin no earlier than September 1.

All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) surveyed 1,600 adult Russians about video games. Below are the main results of the study.

A bill has been submitted to the State Duma that prohibits the sale of smartphones and tablets in Russia without access to RuStore, the Russian app store. The primary target is Apple devices.

The Russian parliament advised the government to tighten control over video games and develop additional mechanisms for their examination. The parliamentarians believe that foreign states might use video games for propaganda among Russian gamers.

Russia may launch several experiments simultaneously on game labeling, writes “Kommersant.” The Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (ODVI) and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia are preparing their own projects.

The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has decided to restrict Russian gamers’ access to the visual novel “Romance Club.” It added the game’s pages on Google Play and the App Store to the list of sites with information prohibited for distribution in Russia.

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has prepared a draft law on changes to the tax system. Among other things, it proposed to set a 5% profit tax rate for IT companies instead of the current zero rate.

Spending by Russians on consoles continues to grow, according to the retail network “M.Video-Eldorado.” In the first quarter of 2024, it increased by 104% year-on-year to 12.5 billion rubles.