IRI did not specify which games it supported in 2024 to protect them from sanctions
Annually, the Internet Development Institute (IDI) holds a national content competition, awarding funds to the winners for the creation of their projects. In 2024, it concealed the names of almost all the winning games. As it turned out, there was a good reason for this secrecy.
“Smuta”
In an interview with “Vedomosti,” the head of IDI, Alexey Goreslavsky, explained that the decision was made to protect developers from European Union sanctions, which had impacted the organization at the time.
“The business [of game developers] is oriented towards the global market. The distribution of projects they create, whether or not we are involved, is linked to foreign platforms, including Steam, etc. Therefore, we felt that we should not force their hand,” Goreslavsky stated.
According to Goreslavsky, IDI is currently willing to publicly support only those games whose authors understand the potential risks. Moreover, the collaboration will only be publicized after the titles are fully developed.
For instance, the studio Cyberia Nova agreed to disclose the fact that it received a grant from IDI in 2024. The institute provided funds for the development of educational additions for “Smuta.” Goreslavsky did not disclose the amount, but previous media reports mentioned it being 100 million rubles.
According to IDI’s website, in the 2024 national content competition in the "Games and Software" category, nine projects won. Among them were a sci-fi RPG, a tactical strategy with RPG elements, arcade racing, and an interactive novel.