The Russian video game market is growing, but developers themselves are increasingly facing a shortage of money. According to a study by "Igroprom", reviewed by "Kommersant", more than 70% of studios named finding funding as the main problem for development.
Money is needed not only for game production itself, but also for employees, 3D models, VFX, art, marketing, and advertising purchases. Cross-border payments have become a separate pain point: it is more difficult for studios to receive revenue from abroad, pay for foreign services, and enter international platforms.
At the same time, the market looks large. According to the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, in 2025 the volume of the Russian video game segment amounted to 208 billion rubles, and by 2030 it could grow to 271 billion rubles. The main part will come from games for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices.
There is very little money in the market, and the situation with attracting funding is critical.
Industry participants believe that investors often lack an understanding of game development. A game project is difficult to evaluate as a regular business: not only the idea and the team are important, but also metrics, monetization, marketing, audience, and the value of intellectual property.
Developers also point to a gap in state support. According to one market participant, from 2020 to 2026, about 6-7 billion rubles were invested in video games, while cinema and TV series received more than 60 billion. Therefore, despite the growing market, Russian studios are still forced to look for money almost manually.