Russian studios encouraged to produce 'patriotic' games

The Russian government plans to produce "patriotic" video games with help from local game developers, while foreign games that paint Russia in a negative light may find themselves banned. Speaking to Russian daily newspaper Izvestiya, and as reported by the Hollywood Reporter, Arseny Mironov, an aide to Russia's culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, noted that games created with a negative image of Russia are unacceptable. "The main thing we expect from the producers of video games is the realistic and historically truthful representation of events," he said. "A video game has to have not only an entertainment value, but it also has to teach and be conducive to patriotic education." With this in mind, The Russian Military History Society has been put in charge of producing the Russian government's first patriotic video game, with a focus on the inception of Russian military aviation during the First World War. The game is due to be released sometime in 2014, and will be developed in collaboration with several Russian video game developers (no studio names have been provided as of yet.) Russian studios who choose to make patriotic video games will also be provided with government grants. Meanwhile, any foreign games that "discredit the Russian soldier" and "distort historic facts" could face an import bans. Company of Heroes from Relic Entertainment, for example, has apparently upset Russian officials thanks to its depiction of Russian WWII soldiers. This game would face a ban under new potential laws.