The Russian Video Game Industry Hall of Fame is the flagship project of the Video game development organization (VIDO), designed to perpetuate the achievements of Russian video game studios, developers, as well as people who have influenced the industry, including esports players. Today we are summarizing the results of the popular vote in 2024. This year, more than 100,000 votes were cast for all the candidates.

The Hall of Fame was first launched in 2023, when it included three video games and seven legendary personalities. The popular vote held at the end of the same year increased the number of people to ten.

VIDO today summarizes the results of the popular vote for candidates for admission to the Video Game Hall of Fame, which lasted 39 days, from November 12 to December 20, 2024. An important addition this year, in addition to selecting legendary Russian video games and the most influential people in the industry, was the opportunity to vote for legendary esports players who had the greatest impact on the development of esports in our country. 

In addition, VIDO plans to help create real monuments dedicated to games and personalities from the Hall of Fame in cities that are important to them. The first such object may be a monument to the Tetris game. Tetris was the first game inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015, and in 2023 it became one of the first games to be inducted into the Russian Hall of Fame. In 2024, together with the Union of Designers of Russia, the Design Factory competition developed a concept for a monument to be erected in Moscow. Financing for the creation and installation of the monument is planned from funds raised by crowdfunding and from the RVR's own funds.

It is planned to install a monument in Kaliningrad dedicated to the work of the Russian game designer, founder of K-D LAB and KranX Productions Andrey "Krank" Kuzmin. His game "Vangery" became one of the most striking projects of 1998, and received awards from the Russian and foreign gaming press. His team also implemented the projects "No time for Dragons" based on the novel by Sergey Lukyanenko and Nick Perumov, "Nyamsters", "Muzaiq" and a series of strategies "Perimeter". Other regions may also show interest and perpetuate a part of the history of the video game industry associated with their cities. 

"Initiatives that strengthen the achievements of Russian game developers, esports players and those who contribute to the industry are necessary today. Especially now, when the Russian video game industry has received a second wind — it is being formed anew and is developing. The Video Game Hall of Fame serves as an inspiration for both young and experienced developers, and for everyone involved in video games," said Vasily Ovchinnikov, Head of  the Video game development organization (VIDO)

This year, users of the VKontakte social network, along with users of the Telegram messenger, cast more than 100,000 votes for all applicants in built-in mini-applications specially created for voting on each of the platforms.

The results of the popular vote and those legends who will be included in the "Hall of Fame of the video game industry in 2024. 

In the Legendary Games category:

🔹 Allods Online. Fantasy multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), the continuation of the game series "Allods", developed by the studio Allods Team. This is the first Russian world-class online game that has been officially launched in Russia, Europe, the USA, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Korea and other countries. The action takes place in the world of Sarnaut, which was introduced in the original "Allods" trilogy ("Allods: Seal of Mystery", "Allods II: Lord of Souls", "Cursed Lands").
🔹 Heroes of Might and Magic V. The fifth installment of a turn-based strategy game with role-playing elements in the popular Heroes of Might and Magic series. Developed in 2006 by the Russian company Nival Interactive under the leadership of the French Ubisoft, which also acted as the publisher, the game is considered one of the most popular in the series. Some fans even call her the best, and that's understandable. The game combines advanced 3D graphics, excellent design and a thoughtful game world, which eliminated the shortcomings of the previous part. Also, in "Heroes of Might and Magic V", some of the less successful innovations introduced in episode 4 were removed. This has made it more perfect and attractive to players.
🔹 Truckers 2. A computer game in the genre of a trucker driver simulator with elements of economic strategy, developed by SoftLab-NSK studio and published by 1C on April 17, 2001. For a whole generation of players, this title has become an important part of their game history. One of the features of the game is the vast game world, which is familiar because it is clearly inspired by Russia, which makes it especially close to Russian players.

"The success of the second "Truckers" in those days seemed phenomenal for the young Russian industry. This success looked especially vivid against the background of the unusual genre of the game, which seemed niche and not conducive to instant and strong emotions, "fast dopamine". This game had a very non-trivial tempo. Therefore, the Truckers played the role of an inspiring banner: they demonstrated that the Russian game could be internationally successful and at the same time unique: not a clone of a popular foreign game, but an original one. It is a clear proof that non—linear paths can really lead to the stars," commented Nikolai Dybovsky.   

"On behalf of the entire Allods Online development team, I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who voted for our project in the popular vote of the Video Game Industry Hall of Fame. Your trust and support mean an incredible amount to us, and we sincerely appreciate every vote. Allods Online is not just a game: It's a whole universe created with love and dedication to detail. Over the 15 years of the project's existence, we have tried not only to delight you with exciting adventures, but also to create a unique gaming experience that will be remembered for many years to come. We strive to preserve and popularize the unique cultural heritage of Allods Online, so for our players and a loyal audience, we have collected all the heritage in one place and released an updated collector's artbook this year. Thank you for your dedication and support! There is still a lot of interesting things ahead, and we promise to delight you with new achievements and exciting adventures in the world of Sarnaut," commented Anton Turishchev, Alloda Online project Manager.

Legendary People:

🔹 Ilya Maddyson Davydov. A video blogger, letsplayer, columnist, streamer, computer game developer, and TV presenter. He became one of the first bloggers in Russia to create humorous video reviews of films, commercials, and video games. For this, he was nicknamed the "King of the Runet" and the "King of Gaming Reviews." According to a number of publications, he became an important figure in the development of Russian video blogging, as well as the first popular letsplayer in Russia.
🔹Nikita Buyanov. Head of Battlestate Games, game director of Escape from Tarkov. He is known for his work on the legendary shooter Escape from Tarkov. Escape from Tarkov is an online multiplayer game that combines elements of a first—person shooter, survival and RPG. The game gained its popularity for its atmosphere, gameplay, and detail. Escape from Tarkov is considered one of the best tactical shooter games. Interestingly, she became one of the sources of inspiration for Hidetaka Miyazaki when creating Elden Ring, which won many awards in 2022.
🔹Yuri Miroshnikov. Former head of computer game development and publishing at 1C. He worked on such significant projects for the industry as "Pilots 1-2", "Allods 1-2", "Cursed Lands", "Truckers 1-2", "Prince", "Corsairs", "IL-2 Sturmovik", "Moonshine". IL-2 Sturmovik is considered the best flight simulator in the world, which immerses players in the atmosphere of aerial battles of the Second World War. He deserves the Hall of Fame for his system-building contribution to the creation of the gaming industry.

"I would like to sincerely thank everyone who voted for me! The contribution of our community to Escape from Tarkov has always been huge. Your every opinion and support inspires us to new achievements. Thank you for being with us! Let's keep making cool games and enjoy the process! Long live hardcore!" commented Nikita Buyanov, developer of Escape from Tarkov.

Legendary Esports Players:

🔹Yaroslav "NS" Kuznetsov. Russian Dota 2 esports player. His career began in 2005 as a member of the SAY_PLZ team. Yaroslav is also the creator of one of the most popular Dota Allstars websites and forums — Dotacraft.ru . He became a co-founder of the RuHub commentary studio. In 2007, Yaroslav played for the legendary team Virtus.pro and in 2010 he joined the equally famous DTS. In 2012, he headed the updated staff. Virtus.pro in Dota 2. As a member of this team, Yaroslav won The Defense 3 tournament in 2013. He was recognized as the best support in the world by GosuGamers in 2008 and 2010. After completing his playing career, Yaroslav became the creator of popular Dota 2 training content. From 2014 to 2019, he was a commentator and analyst for almost all official Dota 2 tournaments.
🔹Alexey "Solo" Berezin. Russian esports player, Dota 2 player, best known for his performances as part of the team Virtus.pro Solo is a four-time Major Tournament champion and a six-time Major Tournament medalist. In addition, Alexey became the Dota 2 world champion as part of the Russian national team at WESG 2017.
🔹Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naydenov. The Russian Dota 2 esports player, known by the nickname Miposhka, plays in Team Spirit. In 2021, Yaroslav became the world champion at The International 10 tournament, winning more than 3.5 million dollars. In 2023, Miposhka achieved success again, becoming a two-time world champion at The International 12 tournament. He has earned over $5 million in his entire esports career.