Feast and peace: immersive project on Leo Tolstoy's work will be shown in Moscow for the first time

Projects with Russian themes will become the main trend of the largest game-themed exhibition, which begins in the capital. As part of the Moscow International Video Game Week, the Mensa studio, Izvestia learned, will immerse users in an immersive role-playing game based on Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. At the same time, Black Caviar Games will reveal the details of the adventure game "Northern Flower: The Last Watch", which takes place in Siberia, where the player assumes the role of captain of the Soviet army Alexei Volkov. See the Izvestia article about what else awaits visitors to the international Video Game Week.

Emphasis on domestic themes and plots

Among the most anticipated novelties are projects by Russian studios that will show their key developments and updates to a wide audience for the first time, Izvestia found out. For example, the Moscow studio Mensa will immerse users in an immersive role-playing game based on Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Gamers will be able to use virtual reality glasses to explore locations known from the book and interact with the characters of the literary monument in four volumes. All the key characters of the cycle will appear in the role-playing game: Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova.

In turn, 1C Game Studios will for the first time present the new Odessa and Leningrad module from the modern Il-2 attack aircraft simulator series: Great Battles, as well as the Kalibr tactical online shooter. The developer of the first Russian racing simulator for motorsport with domestic tracks and SMP Esports cars will also take part.

Black Caviar Games will reveal the details of the adventure game "Northern Flower: The Last Watch", which takes place in Siberia, where the gamer assumes the role of captain of the Soviet army Alexei Volkov. Herbarium Games Studio will show a game about survival during the apocalypse with the ability to find allies and make decisions that determine the fate of people.

— Today it is especially important to create platforms where developers can communicate directly with the audience, share experiences and find new partnerships. The Moscow International Video Game Week is just such a platform. We are pleased to present our projects and support the development of an industry that is rapidly growing and becoming strategically important for the economy and culture," said Sergey Yefremov, Chief Operating Officer of Astrum Entertainment.

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Tony Watkins, CEO of Astrum Entertainment, will perform with his Tony Watkins Band at one of the events of the week — video Game Nights. This is of particular interest due to the personality of the musician — Irish by birth, Watkins has been living in Russia for more than 20 years, performs songs in Russian and is engaged in business development in our country. Other notable announcements include the large—scale multiplayer role-playing game Blade & Soul NEO from Fogame. The new product will be released in Russia and the CIS in November, but visitors to the video game week will be the first to play it.

The impressive scale of the event

The first ever Moscow International Video Game Week starts in the capital on November 27. Within the framework of it, 10 cyber tournaments will be held in more than 730 cyber clubs across the country and in 83 regions of Russia, about 100 video games will be presented, and representatives of 20 countries will participate in the event. The sole organizer is the Moscow Creative Industries Agency.

Over 200 industry experts from Russia and abroad will speak as part of the business program. The program will cover four key tracks dedicated to the Game developer ecosystem, technology, audience engagement, and global trends. Among the Russian speakers are Vasily Ovchinnikov, CEO of the Video Game Industry Development Organization, Andrey Voronkov, Deputy CEO of the Internet Development Institute, Alexander Mikheev, CEO of A PRIORI, Artemy Bolshakov, CEO of Game Art Pioneers, Alexey Skrebtsov, head of mobile at Astrum Entertainment, Daniil Tuseev, producer at 1C Game Studios, and Alexey Koptsev, CEO of Cyberia Nova.

They will be joined by foreign experts: Maria Ilic (Serbia), President of the Board of the Serbian Games Association, Magdalena Tomkoshwicz (Poland), founder of Reikon Games, Priestess of Play, Li Jie (China), Deputy Chairman of the Internet Society of China's Esports Committee, and CEO of GAHEE Co., Ltd. Koo Hyun-woo (South Korea) and others.

— The event will bring together video game industry experts from China, Argentina, Serbia, India, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and other countries and will include not only business negotiations and sessions, but also a rich program for residents of the capital. Guests can enjoy esports tournaments, musical performances and other activities. Video Game Week will become a platform where the capital's video game companies will be able to present their products to both Russian and foreign partners and investors," said Gulnara Agamova, head of the Moscow Creative Industries Agency.

According to Alexander Mikheev, CEO of the A PRIORI Association, the Moscow International Video Game Week is becoming a place where key trends are discussed, collaborations are born and new opportunities for developers appear. This year, as part of a large program, a delegation of key partners from China is expected, with whom they will discuss concrete steps for cooperation, the speaker said.

In the Game Ecosystem section, experts will focus on issues of developer support and institutional development mechanisms. The "Industry Technologies" section will discuss the introduction of new technological solutions and business models shaping the market. The track "The Player decides everything" will focus on consumer culture, communities and new formats of interaction with the audience. The participants of the Industry Trends track will discuss global and local challenges defining the future of gamedev.

— The Russian video game industry is demonstrating steady qualitative growth: the number of studios is increasing, professional expertise is strengthening, and more and more high-level projects are appearing on the market. Moscow was one of the first in the country to recognize the potential of the gaming industry as an export-oriented direction, this is reflected both in the creation of a core cluster and in the systematic support of the city government. Against this background, it was Moscow that naturally initiated the International Video Game Week. The event provides an opportunity to present the real achievements of the industry and build an expert dialogue between developers, publishers and players," said Vasily Ovchinnikov, CEO of the Video Game Industry Development Organization.

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He noted that the Russian market is becoming more mature, and such initiatives play a key role in its further systemic development.

In addition, esports activities are planned at the event. Fogame will hold a Point Blank shooter tournament, the winners of which will be able to represent the country at the 2026 World Cup. A League of Legends show match is also planned: popular media personalities will form two teams and hold a full-fledged series of games with up to three wins. The matches will be accompanied by professional commentary, interviews and autograph sessions.