Sergey Golubkin. How the Russian gaming industry missed the chance to rival CD Projekt RED. Sharp interview

As a Russian developer returning to Russia, I realized my job hunt was over. Just then, Ubisoft reached out. *"Wait, when I left Ubisoft, everything flipped upside down—like a headstand—about what a producer actually does. Why don’t our devs create projects? Games need passion. What’s essential to put in them? A piece of yourself, a bit of the team’s soul."* Back in the ’90s/early 2000s, Russia’s top 50 games featured five Russian titles. Yet we never replicated that success. Even Nival’s *Heroes of Might and Magic* was made alongside their neighbors. Instead of chasing a "Russian blockbuster," I think budget is the real barrier—we’re resourceful, but no one believes how much a game costs. Our top-tier Russian games were cheaper to produce than Western equivalents, leveraging innovation, unique mechanics, and ideas. And yes, even when Russia’s mobile scene became dominant, it was thanks to that same creativity—pushing new platforms first.