During SPIEF-2022, Boris Edidin, Deputy Director General of Legal Affairs at the Internet Development Institute, proposed granting a special legal status to computer games developers, framing them as a distinct and dynamic content-creating sector. He argued that games are not merely products produced by developers, but a creative industry whose rules should be tailored to reflect their unique nature and the pivotal role they play in the digital economy.
In a roundtable titled Virtual Worlds, Real Issues: Digital Law and Cyber Security in the Context of the Gaming Industry, Edidin addressed artists, designers, sound engineers and other professionals connected to game development. He stressed that game developers are part of the information technology and creative sectors because their work merges programming with artistic and narrative expression. He called for policies and frameworks that support this sector, which is heavily oriented toward export.
Edidin highlighted the export orientation of the Russian gaming industry, noting that more than eighty percent of companies’ profits are generated abroad. He described the games produced as high-quality products that require stable, forward-looking conditions to thrive under evolving regulatory rules and market dynamics while maintaining and expanding export potential—a responsibility he attributed to the state and the industry alike.
He also touched on the need to safeguard the Russian gaming market by balancing investment with practical considerations. He argued that simply pumping money into local companies would not suffice and that a more comprehensive approach was necessary. The open nature of the market, he suggested, requires a clear pathway for foreign game publishers and studios to enter Russia. This would involve creating favorable conditions, such as soft loans and simplified taxation, to ensure foreign participation translates into tangible benefits for domestic developers and the broader ecosystem. He concluded that while foreign studios may possess vast talent, Russia can still nurture its own competitive producers and expand collaborations with global partners.
In related remarks, a former head of the Presidential Platform Russia — Land of Opportunities announced the upcoming launch of a new competition for Russian computer game developers, titled Start the Game, signaling continued government support for domestic innovation and export-ready titles.