In response to the major players in the international game industry cutting off the Russian market over two years ago, Russia is now contemplating the creation of a homegrown gaming hardware and software. The isolation has forced the Russian government to explore the idea of developing its own game consoles, operating systems, and cloud systems for delivering games and programs to users, according to recently approved Russian economic orders from the Kremlin.

The Ministry of Digital Development initiated discussions in 2022 regarding the possibility of creating a domestic Russian game engine. However, building an entire gaming platform from scratch would be a much more significant undertaking. While open-source platforms like Android provide a starting point for a bespoke gaming operating system, developing the necessary infrastructure for payment processing, game downloads, online play, moderation, and quality control is no simple task.

Anton Fomin, the head of retail projects for mobile phone company Fplus, stated that Russia currently lacks the expertise to produce its own high-level console comparable to PlayStation or Xbox. Experts estimate that it would take Russia 5 to 10 years and 5 to 10 billion rubles ($54 to $108 million) to develop a gaming platform that would still lag behind existing foreign solutions by 10 to 15 years.

The situation may reflect the state of Russia's gaming sector as a whole. A recent survey found that 69% of Russian gamers have resorted to piracy due to limited access to foreign games. Job listing data from last year also suggests a significant decline of up to 40% in Russia's domestic game development since the Ukraine war began.

While the development of a new Russian gaming platform may seem ambitious, it is not unprecedented. In the closing days of the Cold War, Soviet engineers created various knock-off arcade machines and amateur computer games in response to being cut off from the Western gaming market. This era of Russian gaming produced notable successes like Tetris, highlighting the potential for a new Russian gaming platform.

The Russian government has until June 15 to provide its recommendations on the feasibility of developing a domestic game console. It remains to be seen whether Russia will be able to overcome the challenges and establish a competitive gaming platform in the future.