Gamers prefer local manufacturing, seeking high-quality products
Gaming Scene in Russia: Changing Landscape and the Push for Domestic Consoles
A recent survey conducted by the Analysis Center of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) shines a light on the gaming habits and preferences of 1,600 active Russian internet users. Here's a breakdown of their findings:
- Gaming Consoles: A whopping 77% of active Russian internet users engage with video games, just 2% less than their U.S. counterparts. Among these gaming enthusiasts, 44% are regular players, with 33% having left the community behind. One in five respondents has never shown any interest in gaming.
Men, youth, city dwellers, and high-income individuals make up the bulk of the gaming populace. The reasons for quitting games are usually lack of interest, changing priorities, lack of time, or overall fatigue, with financial limitations, technical hurdles, high game costs, and device availability being less common factors.
- Platforms: PCs remain the dominant platform in Russia, with 82% of respondents having played games on them at least once. Despite their popularity worldwide and in the U.S., consoles trail behind, with 27% of respondents being console gamers. The leaders in this space are PlayStation (24%), Xbox (9%), and Nintendo Switch (3%). Mobile phones are the second most popular gaming devices, with 63% usage, and tablets come in third at 27%.
- Domestic Console: Although the Russian gaming market is primarily tied to PCs and mobile devices, only 4% of users are aware of plans to create a domestic console. Of the other respondents, 25% have heard something about the project but lack details, while 73% were unaware of its existence until the survey. Encouragingly, 57% of those surveyed express a positive attitude towards the concept of a Russian gaming console, with 25% believing it could potentially rival PlayStation or Xbox in terms of quality.
Recent developments and potential future prospects for a domestic gaming console in Russia are a mix of ambitious endeavors and daunting challenges.
- Future prospects include the unveiling of the Fplus handheld console prototype, government support for the local video game industry, and the presentation of a detailed roadmap for its development over five years.
- Challenges ahead include the impact of economic sanctions on technology imports, the competition from established brands, and questions surrounding the public's perception and acceptance of a domestic console.
As the Russian government pushes for a domestic gaming console, it will be crucial to address these challenges effectively to create a viable alternative to established brands and foster the growth of the local gaming industry.
- What about the gadgets that could potentially rival PlayStation or Xbox in Russia? There are plans to create a domestic console, and surprisingly, 57% of those surveyed express a positive attitude towards this idea.
- When it comes to the technological landscape in Russia, there seems to be a shift occurring, with some users aware of the pending release of the Fplus handheld console and a significant number (25%) showing interest in the project despite lacking details. However, 73% are yet to hear about this endeavor.
