In 2023, Russian gamers accessed a vast amount of pirated games, with reported downloads totaling over 324 billion rubles in value. information about this came from the press service of the online game development school XYZ School, as relayed to socialbites.ca.
By year end, the piracy rate rose by 4 percent, reaching 73 percent of the gaming audience. at the same time, 37 percent of players downloaded no more than three pirated copies during the year, while 8 percent downloaded more than ten copies. The numbers highlight a broad pattern of widespread piracy, rather than isolated incidents, across the Russian gaming community.
Executive director Emma Yusova of XYZ School attributes the growth of piracy largely to limits on access to international payment systems for players. The barrier makes legitimate testing and purchasing in a foreign market more cumbersome, leading many users to evaluate a game through pirated copies before navigating the more complex payment procedures supported by intermediary services.
According to the school, this practical frustrates the market’s move toward formal purchases, and it complicates the ability of developers to gauge genuine demand. Experts note that while the apparent damage to the industry might be somewhat lower than the raw piracy figures suggest, there is no easy or precise way to measure the true impact yet.
Among pirated releases in 2023, Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy, and Baldur’s Gate 3 topped the list. Analysts estimate that roughly 84 percent of pirates had downloaded at least one of these titles, underscoring how popular new releases can drive illicit activity when access barriers exist. The persistence of such trends points to a broader conversation about digital rights, consumer behavior, and the economics of game distribution in the region.
Earlier experiences with devices such as the Steam Deck OLED indicate that hardware performance and screen longevity can influence purchasing decisions, with some consumers opting for pirated or legged content as a trial before committing to higher-end purchases. This dynamic feeds into a cycle where availability, price, and user perception of value intersect to shape piracy patterns rather than a single factor alone.