"Unfeasible Demands": Russian Companies Urge Revision of the Bill Regulating the Gaming Industry

A group of Russian companies has submitted their proposals to the State Duma of the Russian Federation regarding amendments to the bill that regulates the gaming industry in the country. They believe that a significant portion of the requirements needs to be changed.

Among the authors of the proposals are game associations APRIORI and AII, which include companies like VK, Astrum Entertainment, and Innova. MTS and the law firm EBR also shared their comments.

There are many amendments to the bill. The document reviewed by the App2Top editorial contains 40 pages.

Here are the main proposals:

• change several terms and even the bill's title to avoid "harmful" analogies with gambling;
• remove requirements that oblige game distribution services to always maintain access to projects. The authors note that it is impossible to comply with these due to hacker attacks, technical issues, and even simple game patches that can lead to failures;
• make the labeling mechanism more flexible. For example, it is necessary to "synchronize" the proposed descriptors with international ratings like PEGI and ESRB to avoid forcing foreign companies to re-label content;
• create a special commission for video game examination instead of appointing accredited experts. The commission should include representatives from gaming companies. Additionally, developers should have the opportunity to contest the experts’ decisions through pre-judicial procedures;
• mandate the point about the authorization of Russian players only for those companies with a legal entity in Russia and entrepreneurs who are Russian citizens;
• preserve IT tax benefits for gaming companies.

Previously, the company "Buka" prepared its comments on the bill. More about their proposals can be read in this material.