Scandal in Kazakhstan. Instead of creating a role-playing game, developers made a runner for the state-funded 500 thousand dollars
At the end of 2025, Steppe Rider was released on PC and mobile devices. It's a runner game in the style of Subway Surfers, designed to teach the basics of the Kazakh language. The development was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan. However, it was recently revealed that initially, the authorities had requested a much more ambitious game for these educational purposes.
Steppe Rider
Kazakhstani media discovered a tender in which the Ministry detailed their game requirements. According to the document, Steppe Rider was supposed to be a turn-based RPG lasting no less than 12 hours. Officials proposed to build its storyline around the traditional horse races Baige — the main character could prepare to participate in them by completing quests while learning more about the country's culture and language. Moreover, they wanted to include a multiplayer mode with a language quiz.
A total of 241.84 million tenge, or 479.8 thousand dollars at the current exchange rate, was allocated for the game's development from Kazakhstan's budget.
The company that won the tender, United Kingdom, ultimately decided to simplify the gameplay to an endless runner with educational inserts and reduce the plot to a journey across the Kazakh steppes on the back of a snow leopard. Interestingly, business directories indicate that formally, United Kingdom specializes not in game development but in organizing conferences and trade exhibitions.
Although Steppe Rider turned out to be a very different project, it's important to note that the developers had to work under tight deadlines. The authorities issued the tender on March 4, 2025, and requested the completed game by December 8, 2025.
As of the time of writing, Steppe Rider has not gained popularity. For instance, it has received 17 reviews on Steam, with only half being positive. Its peak online user count on the platform was just five people. How it is doing on Google Play and the App Store is not exactly known.
Steppe Rider's online dynamics in Steam
However, the Kazakh authorities themselves do not seem to consider the divergence from the tender's requirements or the lukewarm reception of Steppe Rider to be critical.
“Yes, there are questions being raised now. The game was developed as an educational tool — for learning the Kazakh language at the A1-A2 levels. It’s like an international project. In general, the market cost of such a game ranges from a thousand to 300 thousand dollars — that's for one platform. Our game consists of three platforms,” stated Yerbol Tleshov, Chairman of the Committee on Language Policy of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, at a recent briefing.