In keeping with a brand new examine from on-line recreation growth platform Faculty XYZ, the exodus of main worldwide online game publishers from Russia led to a pointy rise within the variety of video players enjoying pirates video games. TorrentFreak experiences: Nearly seven out of ten video players (69%) mentioned they’d performed no less than one pirated copy in 2022, and greater than half (51%) mentioned that they are now pirating greater than they did in 2021. As first reported by the Russian information outlet Vedomosti (paywall), the examine was carried out throughout all areas of Russia and took into consideration all unlicensed recreation codecs, most often downloaded from torrent websites. Whereas over 1 / 4 of respondents (27%) mentioned they’d pirated three PC video games in 2022, and 20% confessed to pirating greater than 10, different figures from the examine are extra optimistic. Of the 31% of players who reported pirating nothing in 2022, all mentioned that they have been against piracy. Simply 7% of players admitted to purchasing no video games in any respect in 2022, that means that 93% purchased no less than one piece of official content material.
In keeping with Alexander Kuzmenko, the previous editor of Russian videogame journal and gaming web site Igromania (Sport Mania), it is not simply the departure of publishers together with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo inflicting downside for players. When platforms like Steam and GOG, recognized for his or her ease of entry, stopped supporting Russian financial institution playing cards, obstacles appeared in a beforehand frictionless system. Yegor Tomsky, CEO at Watt Studio, agrees that purchasing content material has change into way more tough. “Gamers are used to purchasing video games on Steam in a single click on, and now, to purchase a recreation, that you must carry out the identical actions as when downloading a pirated model, so everybody chooses to save cash,” Tomsky says.
Because the Russian financial system faces big difficulties straight linked to the invasion of Ukraine, some concern that recreation piracy charges are heading in the direction of the 90%+ mark final seen round 20 years in the past. Folks in all places are attempting to save cash and in response to Konstantin Sakhnov, co-founder of Vengeance Video games, abroad recreation publishers might even see misplaced income attain $200-$300 million. A report from Kommersant printed at present signifies that native corporations are additionally feeling the ache. In keeping with information printed by job search platform HH.ru, throughout the first half of 2023 the variety of vacancies for online game builders in Russia plummeted 38%.
