Strategy Partners, a leading Russian consulting company, and The Video game development organization (VIDO) have released a joint review of the video game market. The companies analyzed the global and Russian industry, presented trends and market structure by segment and major players, and identified 3 development scenarios until 2030.

In 2023, the Russian video game market reached 176 billion rubles, an increase of 4.7% compared to 2022. These figures are comparable to the values of 2019-2021. It is expected that in 2024 the growth will be 6.1%, and the market volume will be 187 billion rubles.

According to the baseline forecast of Strategy Partners experts, the domestic video game industry will grow by 5% annually and will amount to 257 billion rubles by 2030. The basic scenario assumes a moderate increase in the range of new games, stagnation or weak growth in the gaming audience, preservation of current economic and geopolitical conditions in Russia, and limited government support for the industry. 

Drivers of the Russian market:
🔹 The development of information technologies that simplify and accelerate the creation of games, making them more interesting and visually appealing;
🔹 Industry support at the state level;
🔹 The growing popularity of esports and streaming;
🔹 Changes in the field of entertainment and recreation: video games have become an affordable and interesting way to spend leisure time against the background of difficulties with travel arrangements; this has brought many new users to the industry.

"The potential of the Russian video game market may be significantly higher, since the share of games in the total volume of creative industries in Russia is smaller than in the world, where the game development market surpasses cinema and music combined. To realize this potential, it is necessary to strengthen support measures, focusing on exports. For example, we should develop a support system for video game hubs, the first of which is already being created in Moscow," said Vasily Ovchinnikov, CEO of the Video Game Industry Development Organization.

"The situation in the industry creates many opportunities for the development and growth of Russian game studios and the emergence of new companies. The industry will be able to grow faster if domestic players enter the markets of friendly countries. In an optimistic development scenario, companies will increase revenue from successful releases and invest in further product development. And the total market volume will grow to 327 billion rubles," said Roman Tinyaev, Director of the Mechanical Engineering and Technology Practice at Strategy Partners.

"Now a new crop of game studios is being formed, a new landscape in the industry. Although new stars, heroes and giants have not appeared yet, there are prospects. It may take another 5-10 years for the gaming sector to grow from a "child" to an "adult," says Vyacheslav Utochkin, head of the educational program "Game Project Management" at the Higher School of Business. 

An overview of the video game market is available at: https://buildin.ai/forgamedev/share/a46073f9-d4e1-496e-a65b-5042921ba743 ?code=ALPDL4