New parts appeared in the engine – Newspaper Kommersant No. 215 (7416) dated 11/19/2022

New details have appeared in the current topic of creating a Russian tool for developing video games and other Internet content. VK expects to develop a game engine by the end of 2025, at the same time it is planned to release the first game on it, follows from the document sent to the Ministry of Digital Development. The company expects to finance development without budget subsidies and monetize it by separating free and commercial versions.

“Kommersant” got acquainted with VK’s plans for the development of a game engine (video game development tool), submitted to the Development Competence Center (CCR) “Multimedia Software” supervised by the Ministry of Digital Development. The fact that VK is interested in creating a Russian engine, the absence of which is a potential threat during the period of sanctions, was previously known (see Kommersant on July 7). The new document reveals the technological details of this project.

The development of the open source engine is scheduled to begin in January 2023. The prototype of the visualizer, that is, the component designed to generate graphics, VK plans to release by September 2023, and the release of a demo game is scheduled for April-December 2025.

VK plans to spend 2.8 billion rubles on development. extrabudgetary funds. In September, a Kommersant source close to the government reported that VK had asked the Ministry of Digital Development for a subsidy (see “Kommersant” dated September 7). VK expects to finance the development of an open source version of the engine by selling licenses for its commercial version, including through a subscription model. According to the document, new versions of the engine will initially be paid, while the free version will be released with a delay. VK also intends to develop paid components and add-ons to the engine, provide services for its improvement and conduct paid training and consultations. “It is quite possible that in the first years of product promotion, the cost of server capacities can be significantly subsidized, up to 100%,” says Pavel Kulakov, CEO of cloud provider Oxygen.

VK, according to the document, expects that its engine will be used for the production of multimedia content, including movies and advertising. Among the potential users, VK mentions not only representatives of the gaming industry, but also universities and colleges involved in software development, as well as “diversified companies” – Sberbank, Rostec and MTS (they did not respond to Kommersant’s request). Earlier, Rostec announced its readiness to participate in the development of the engine “along with other companies and departments” (see “Kommersant” dated July 19). The Ministry of Digital Development said that they were “considering various options for partnerships and their formats in the implementation of projects for the development of the gaming industry,” while emphasizing that there was no final decision on this project yet. The Soyuzmultfilm press service told Kommersant that they are using industry-standard software, while domestic software is still not enough. For example, the feature-length cartoon Water Formula by Soyuzmultfilm is produced using the Unreal Engine.

Developers of game engines have been adapting them for the video production industry for a long time, said AV3.studio CEO Pavel Kudelin. According to him, the studios choose the engine based on the plug-ins (modules) available to it, including from the hardware manufacturers themselves, so VK will have to invest in the development of plug-ins and support for developers to popularize their engine “or release a ready-made“ boxed ” solution for video production.

VK did not respond to the request “Kommersant”.

Yuri Litvinenko