RED MEANS GO

Isolated and sanctioned, Putin's regime is trying to kick-start a new domestic games industry

THE INVASION OF UKRAINE HAS TURNED RUSSIA INTO A GLOBAL PARIAH and begun a period of isolation that to many looks like Cold War 2.0. It's fair to speculate that this is not the outcome Russia was expecting and, with no end to the war in sight, it is looking to shore up those domestic areas that have been badly affected, one of which is tech, video games, and 'digital sovereignty'.

There have been various initiatives, most of which have suffered sudden encounters with the real world.

Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising plan was for a state-funded Russian national game engine to compete with the likes of Unreal Engine. This was announced with typical bravado, backing from major Russian tech companies like Rostelecom, and Pravda-like promises that domestic developers would receive grants if they developed software using the red engine.