The State Duma of the Russian Federation intends to complete the revision and adopt in the first reading the draft law "On the Activities of Developing and Distributing Video Games in the Territory of the Russian Federation" by the end of 2026. This was announced by Anton Gorelkin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy and Information Technology. According to him, the current version of the document is planned to completely exclude a number of controversial provisions that previously implied mandatory user authorization through the State Services portal, binding to a phone number, or the use of the Unified Biometric System. These requirements drew the sharpest criticism from the gaming community and specialized associations, who viewed them as excessive interference in players' privacy.
Rejection of Mandatory Identification: A Key Change
As Gorelkin clarified, lawmakers came to the conclusion that compulsory identification of each user is not a necessary condition for ensuring safety and protecting minors. Basic mechanisms of age restrictions and parental control, according to market experts, already function in most major gaming services and do not require state coercion at the biometric level. Transitioning to a model where responsibility for age verification remains at the level of platforms and publishers will maintain a balance between child protection and freedom of access for adult users.
PEGI-Style Content Labeling and Domestic Game Dev Support Fund
In exchange for the excluded provisions on compulsory authorization, a key element of the revised bill will be the introduction of a deep content labeling system aligned with the European PEGI (Pan European Game Information) model. This involves detailed classification of games by age categories, as well as by content types—violence, sexual scenes, language, gambling, and other parameters. Simultaneously, the text of the document establishes a mechanism for creating a non-state fund to support domestic game development, which is intended to become a tool for financing and promoting Russian developers without direct administrative control from the state.
Consultations with Industry and Security Bloc
The initiative to revise the text arose after a series of consultations involving representatives of the security bloc, as well as key industry organizations—the APRIORI Association and the Video Game Industry Development Organization (RVI). Following these negotiations, the parties agreed on a list of amendments to be introduced before the document is reconsidered. Market experts familiar with the discussion positively assessed the abandonment of mandatory player identification, noting that the transition to detailed age and content labeling will go almost unnoticed by most industry participants, as relevant tools have already been practiced in commercial environments.
Prospects for the Second Reading
Lawmakers expect to resume open discussions on amendments for the second reading of the bill jointly with specialized gaming companies and developers. This should allow for taking into account practical industry comments before finalizing the normative text. The adoption of the document in the first reading by the end of 2026 is expected to open a period of public hearings and expert discussions, following which the bill will be sent for a final vote. For the Russian gaming industry, which numbers tens of thousands of professional developers and millions of active players, the outcome of this process will determine the legal environment in which the sector will develop in the coming years.
