It’s looking like the Russian government is about to develop its very own video game console.
Yes, you heard that right — Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the command himself.
According to a March 27 report from RT, a Russian-owned news source, Putin gave the Russian government’s Cabinet of Ministers a June deadline to consider the costs of such a venture.
The project will be headed by Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who will be aided by VK, a Russian tech company, according to PCMag.
The orders were given to Kremlin officials during a meeting on the Kaliningrad Region’s economic development.
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In addition to plans to create both mobile and traditional gaming consoles, the Russian president also asked the Cabinet to develop “a special operating system and a cloud system” for gaming, per RT.
The move was no doubt influenced by the game industry’s boycott of the country.
According to PCMag, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo — the producers of the world’s three best-selling gaming consoles — halted all sales in the region following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
PCMag’s Michael Kan suggests such a venture will not be easy, considering the number of Western sanctions the country currently faces in addition to the aforementioned ones.
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“…[D]eveloping a console not only requires an ample supply of advanced chips — when the US has been blocking such shipments — but also a strong ecosystem of software developers,” Kan wrote.
“Still, Kommersant says a more realistic option is for Russia to source the video game hardware from China to create a portable console similar to Valve’s Steam Deck”
The Kommersant, a Russian newspaper, postulates the development of such a product could take up to a decade, though help from China may speed up the process.
Putin has been looking to get the Russian government more involved in the gaming industry for months now.
In May of 2023, the leader ordered the creation of an online gaming tournament for local Russian esports and gaming enthusiasts, according to the U.K.’s Metro.
The tournament would feature the games “World of Tanks” and “League Of Legends,” which were developed in Russia and China respectively.
One game banned by the tournament, however, is “Counter-Strike.”
Russian officials did so because they believed the game promoted “one-sided coverage of political events within the game universe.”
