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The most popular among the "pirates" were Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy and Baldur's Gate 3.
According to the online game development school XYZ School, in 2023, Russian gamers downloaded pirated (unlicensed) copies of games worth more than 324 billion rubles. 73% of the total number of gamers played at least one pirated copy on the computer, and in 2022 the share of such players was lower and amounted to 69%. 8% of gamers used more than 10 unlicensed games.
The most popular among the "pirates" were Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy and Baldur's Gate 3 - more than 84% of pirates downloaded at least one of them.
The data was obtained during a survey of more than 1,000 Russian gamers and market analysis, she explained. The study took into account all unlicensed game formats, but most of them were games downloaded from torrent trackers. The total number of gamers in Russia, according to XYZ School estimates, is about 25 million people.
Experts note that in conditions of limited access to international payment systems, many gamers first test the pirated version of the game. Then, if they liked the product, they bought an official copy through intermediary services (Kupikod, etc.) or through official stores, such as VK Play. Thus, the real damage to the industry may be somewhat less, but it is still impossible to name the exact figure, "XYZ School clarified to Vedomosti.
Experts interviewed by the publication believe that the estimate of the pirate market at 324 billion rubles is still too high. In their opinion, the shadow economy is very difficult to measure, since pirates do not keep any statistics, and it is extremely difficult to focus on torrent trackers. In addition, the gaming market includes not only PC games, but also online products and consoles where piracy is not possible.
According to Newzoo, before the introduction of sanctions, Russians spent 250-300 billion rubles a year on games and about 50-80 billion rubles more in the gray segment. Due to the departure of a significant share of players to the gray segment after the introduction of sanctions, the volume of the shadow market in Russia could reach 250 billion rubles in 2023.
Experts believe that piracy itself is caused by several factors:
At the same time, many studios, having publicly announced their departure from Russia in 2022, subsequently returned unnoticed. They have once again started localizing games in Russian, providing support to Russian gamers, and turning a blind eye to the "gray" import of their products.
Thus, according to experts, a sharp surge in piracy in the near future should not be expected - the growth will be smooth in the range of 4-5% per year. Nevertheless, even such rates are unpleasant both for the state in terms of not receiving taxes, and for the publishers themselves, who expect to make a profit.
To reduce this indicator, it is necessary to negotiate with foreign platforms to find workarounds and develop domestic ones, where foreign developers will be able to gain access to the Russian audience of gamers, the experts concluded.
According to the online game development school XYZ School, in 2023, Russian gamers downloaded pirated (unlicensed) copies of games worth more than 324 billion rubles. 73% of the total number of gamers played at least one pirated copy on the computer, and in 2022 the share of such players was lower and amounted to 69%. 8% of gamers used more than 10 unlicensed games.
The most popular among the "pirates" were Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy and Baldur's Gate 3 - more than 84% of pirates downloaded at least one of them.
The data was obtained during a survey of more than 1,000 Russian gamers and market analysis, she explained. The study took into account all unlicensed game formats, but most of them were games downloaded from torrent trackers. The total number of gamers in Russia, according to XYZ School estimates, is about 25 million people.
Experts note that in conditions of limited access to international payment systems, many gamers first test the pirated version of the game. Then, if they liked the product, they bought an official copy through intermediary services (Kupikod, etc.) or through official stores, such as VK Play. Thus, the real damage to the industry may be somewhat less, but it is still impossible to name the exact figure, "XYZ School clarified to Vedomosti.
Experts interviewed by the publication believe that the estimate of the pirate market at 324 billion rubles is still too high. In their opinion, the shadow economy is very difficult to measure, since pirates do not keep any statistics, and it is extremely difficult to focus on torrent trackers. In addition, the gaming market includes not only PC games, but also online products and consoles where piracy is not possible.
According to Newzoo, before the introduction of sanctions, Russians spent 250-300 billion rubles a year on games and about 50-80 billion rubles more in the gray segment. Due to the departure of a significant share of players to the gray segment after the introduction of sanctions, the volume of the shadow market in Russia could reach 250 billion rubles in 2023.
Experts believe that piracy itself is caused by several factors:
- Save money and no funds for purchasing licensed copies (which can cost up to 8-10 thousand rubles)
- Reducing the "culture of consumption" and moving to the "pirate mentality"
- Difficulties with payment in official stores due to sanctions
At the same time, many studios, having publicly announced their departure from Russia in 2022, subsequently returned unnoticed. They have once again started localizing games in Russian, providing support to Russian gamers, and turning a blind eye to the "gray" import of their products.
Thus, according to experts, a sharp surge in piracy in the near future should not be expected - the growth will be smooth in the range of 4-5% per year. Nevertheless, even such rates are unpleasant both for the state in terms of not receiving taxes, and for the publishers themselves, who expect to make a profit.
To reduce this indicator, it is necessary to negotiate with foreign platforms to find workarounds and develop domestic ones, where foreign developers will be able to gain access to the Russian audience of gamers, the experts concluded.
