Category Archives: Russia

Crytek’s fee-to-play FPS Warface has over 9 million registered players in Russia alone. According to GI International, this figure is up from 5 million reported for the region in November 2012. According to new figures, 5% of players using the Mail.Ru’s servers are located in territories such as Kazakhstan and Zimbabwe – the later has two players, at least. Warface has been available in Russia for one year now, and is currently in closed beta in both the US and UK. Sign up for it here.

The Russian government is looking into how violent games in the region are handled after a shooter, who just so happens to like playing videogames, killed six co-workers at the Rigla pharmaceutical warehouse.

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The Warface development team seems quite pleased with the reception the free-to-play shooter is getting in Russia.

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Publisher Mail.Ru Group has announced the Crytek-developed F2P MMOFPS, Warface, has seen 28,000 players competing simultaneously in Russia, and as of May 10, one million players have registered in the region.

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Footage of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Online, in development at CyberTime System, has appeared on the net and it’s posted below, courtesy of Beefjack. Currently only planned for release in Russia, GSC and DSOGaming have confirmed the footage is indeed that of the MMO and not of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The game is currently in open beta, and according to the game’s official forum, a multi-language pack is in the works, so until it’s released, you’ll have to play it in Russian. Hopefully, you can read and speak it.

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A teaser site and a pilot for a television series of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and funded by the game’s developer GSC Game World has surfaced online.

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2K plans to release a Mafia II Special Edition on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

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Update: As promised, we’ve add the official North American midnight launch event for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

The event will take place at Fry’s Electronics at 10800 Kalama River Avenue in Fountain Valley, CA, with activities starting at 9.00pm PST on July 26, and sales of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty beginning at midnight.

Local game stores across the US may have ones that are less “official” than this one, so you may wish to check first before just showing up.

Original story follows the break.

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Microsoft has announced that nine more countries are to join Xbox Live

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Those that live in Russia and want to play StarCraft II’s multiplayer online will be required to pay a monthly fee for the service along with adhering to some connection restrictions.

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CD Projekt RED has officially commented on the shaky cam footage of The Witcher 2 that was leaked onto the internet this week.

Apparently, photographs and filming were not allowed, but we kind of figured that out -what with that chair in the way and all.

“Unfortunately, I have to confirm that the video which appeared a few days ago on the Internet is indeed a presentation of The Witcher 2,” said CEO Adam Kiciński. “It’s a video of a demonstration of the game during the so-called business days of the IGROMIR game expo in Russia.

“It was a closed demonstration for business partners, representatives of the biggest trade chains and a handful of chosen journalists – one of many such demonstrations CD Projekt RED has been doing in various countries. Unfortunately, despite a declared ban on filming and photography at all such events, someone managed to shoot a video at IGROMIR. Just like last time, we will not comment on that.

“Simultaneously, we can assure you that all confirmed information will be revealed soon after the game is officially announced.”

In case you missed the video, it’s posted here.

Activision has confirmed that it’s removal of the airport scene for the Russian PC version of Modern Warfare 2 was voluntary after speaking with local counsel.

“Other countries have formal ratings boards that we regularly work with. However, Russia does not have a formal ratings entity,” an Activision spokesperson told Eurogamer. “As a result, we chose to block the scene after seeking the advice of local counsel.”

The company confirmed to VG247 earlier today, that the reports of a Russian ban were erroneous, as a console version of was not eve released.

More through the links.

Activision has just confirmed to VG247 that reports of Modern Warfare 2 being withdrawn in Russian are incorrect.

“Reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia are erroneous,” said the publisher in a statement.

“Activision only released a PC version of the game in Russia which went on sale on Tuesday, Nov. 10.”

The original story came from GotPS3, a Russian site, which – according to Hellforge – claimed that the game’s console versions had been banned thanks to its Airport Scene.

So there you go. Untrue. Go back to not speaking Russian in a make-believe Russian airport, Russian Modern Warfare 2 PC players.

Uh-oh.

Russia has recalled all copies of Modern Warfare 2, thanks to the inclusion of the airport level in the game.

Infinity Ward has patched the PC version in the country to get rid of the level completely, with an edited retail version due for release in stores shortly.

Thats not all though, nuh-uh. Russian gamers aren’t pleased that the game’s centric plot revolves around a US/Russian war.

Amazing stuff, innit.

From Hellforge, via D’Toid.

EA has revealed to Eurogamer that the earlier listings from this morning of PlayStation 3 versions of Left 4 Dead 2 and Mass Effect 2 were posted in “error”.

As you may have noticed in our updates since, the listings have been removed from the website.

In a gist: both games are now 360-PC exclusive again… for the foreseeable future anyways.

While a L4D2 appearence on the PS3 was always going to be very unlikely, BioWare’s refused to rule out Mass Effect appearing on the console someday. But for now, that “someday” is a pipedream.

Catch more through the first link.

L4D2 is out on November 17, while Mass Effect 2 is out in Q1 2010.

Update: Listing has been taken down. It’s now a Xbox 360 only game again.

Update 2: EA insist both listings for Mass Effect 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 were posted in “error“.

Original Story: The EA Russia website has listed a PlayStation 3 version of Left 4 Dead 2.

Previously, Valve has categorically said before they aren’t working on the PS3, so either this is a massive fuck-up or EA Russia is doing the jump on everyone. It’s the former, almost certainly.

Ex-KGB will be called in to kill whoever put up the listings, accidental or not.

We’ll leave an email with Valve. For fun, like.

Earlier, the same site also listed a PS3 version of Mass Effect 2.

Update: BioWare’s given this one the “no comment” treatment over on its forums. “We don’t comment on rumors. ” is the official word-emoticon combo. But hey, at least it’s not a “no.”

Update 2: The listing on the Russian EA website has now gone, but the Game page is still there.

Update 3: EA insist both listings for Mass Effect 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 were posted in “error“.

Original Story: Either this is a massive oops or something more.

The Russian website for EA has Mass Effect 2 pegged for a release on the PlayStation 3, as well as 360 and PC.

However, EA Russia isn’t the only act involved: Game Australia also have the game down for a PS3 release next year. Previously, it was only for Xbox 360 and PC.

BioWare has however refused to confirm or deny before if there would be a PS3 version of the sequel.

We’ll contact EA about this, and see if this is just an honest mistake or more.

Thanks, RPGSite.

A government-backed program for the game industry is to be implemented by the end of October in Russian, just before the very first developer’s conference is to take place in Dubna, which is in the Moscow Provence.

Called the National Russian Association of Game Industry, it along with the All-Russian Conference on Game Industry, are striving to pit Russia as a nation of global game development and are using the conference as a way to reach out to the gaming industry as a whole.

The Federal Agency for Management of Special Economic Zones, the State Academy of Innovations, and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation announced the event which takes place October 27-29.

More through Gamasutra.

Russian cosplayers have taken the entire concept to a ludicrous level yet again, this time “doing” Fallout 3 with an OCD-level of dedication. Check out a ton of shots of the Brotherhood of Steel and other people that should have stayed in a videogame walking round abandoned eastern locales on English Russia.

The last game to get this style of treatment from the Russian mentalists was S.T.A.L.K.E.R. They may have been Ukranian, though. We don’t want to offend anyone. Especially not this lot.

EA’s released Warhammer Online in Russia, as confirmed by this press release.

“‘WAR is Everywhere’, and now that WAR has launched in Russia, that statement rings even more true than before,” said Mythic boss Mark Jacobs.

“We encourage gamers throughout Russia to take up the cause, and fight alongside their friends on the front lines of the definitive RvR experience!”

The release should hopefully bolster what appears to be a dwindling userbase for the MMO.