KEY CONCLUSIONS
The gaming market is evolving and striving to remain outside of politics, as interest in it continues to grow
“The market is evolving, but gamers are as interested as ever in games. That’s especially the case in the post-pandemic era, as people had more free time and got into the idea of playing good games. What has changed? Access to games, distribution channels, and formats,” Artem Chermenin, Director of Strategic Development, VK Play.
“Fortunately, game engines are now getting better at quite a rate, and are moving in what I think is the right direction... I think this is the opportune moment to make a high-quality product within more acceptable time frames and budgets. We have the capability here to catch up with our Western colleagues and perform commendably on the same platform,” Sergey Demchev, General Director, Magic Factory Animation.
“It’s no secret to anyone that e-sports are now a pretty popular form of sport. We are an accredited federation... We are a member of the international federation. Currently, 120 countries are members, and what’s more, all attempts to expel us from the federation against the backdrop of global events have been unsuccessful. We remain a member of this body, and on top of this, we are members of the board,” Dmitry Smith, President, Russian eSports Federation.
Games and e-sports form part of the experience economy, and need to be profitable
“As much as possible, we bring gamers around this space, which ultimately translates into fully-fledged distribution and earnings for the industry,” Artem Chermenin, Director of Strategic Development, VK Play.
“Professional e-sports are about supporting teams and players. So, if you want to put a team together in a particular discipline, you need to understand the monetization model, just like in business. The support programme offered by the publisher plays no small role in this regard,” Nikolay Petrossian, Chief Executive Officer, ESforce Holding.
“My understanding is that e-sports will drive the games market, which will in turn develop an ecosystem. That’s the logic to apply if we look at games from an economic perspective,” Igor Stolyarov, Head, Game of the Future 2024 Project.
Today, developers are working to bring more originality to their games
“We tasked our team with developing philosophical, educational, and historical games. And it turned out that a demand for these arose in the country... In our game, the player has the chance to immerse themselves in Russia’s rich and centuries-old culture. They can meet legendary characters and view Russian architecture... We have focused a great deal on the soundtrack – we are working together with the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory,” Vitaly Terlyuk, General Director, Siridar.
PROBLEMS
The lack of a single sales platform
“Not so long ago, we had a talk with our colleagues, and at that time nobody could answer my question as to how we’d be able to sell everything,” Sergey Demchev, General Director, Magic Factory Animation.
SOLUTIONS
Creating a single distribution platform
“We decided for ourselves that the best thing to do for our valued gamers is to create a space where as much as possible is made available on a single platform. Specifically, I mean the ability to purchase a game or content, access streams, and read news. This platform also hosts e-sports tournaments,” Artem Chermenin, Director of Strategic Development, VK Play.
Games should contain a competitive element in order to boost demand
“For a range of games, it’s vital for there to be a competitive mechanism. That’s not just because it’s an interesting marketing and game promotion tool, but is something which appeals to human nature. If we’re talking about games which also act as guides through Russian culture, it’s important that we foster the desire to consume this content,” Dmitry Smith, President, Russian eSports Federation.