Gaming: Russian Politician Calls For Call Of Duty Ban And Home-grown...

The Russian government says it will support developers working on CoD-style projects with tax breaks and other incentives.

The Russian government is prepared to support the development of a homegrown military shooter akin to Call of Duty through measures including reduced corporate tax rates and insurance premiums for developers who make it. Confirmation of those potential incentives comes a month after a Russian lawmaker called for a ban on the Call of Duty series in the country, accusing Western nations of using it to spread "Russophobic propaganda."

The commitment comes from a Gazeta.ru report (Google translated, via Insider Gaming), which quotes the Ministry of Digital Development as saying, "if the [government] receives an application for funding for the development of a game on the topic specified in your letter, it will be reviewed in accordance with the established procedure and within the framework of existing competitive mechanisms."

The Ministry cited existing government support for IT companies and game developers including "a reduced corporate income tax rate of 5%, reduced insurance premium rates, and a partial VAT exemption in certain cases."

This is all extremely normal and unremarkable. Canada's videogame industry is a powerhouse largely because provincial governments throw generous tax breaks and funding options to game studios: Ubisoft has more offices in Canada than it does in France (or the US) and it's not because Yves Guillemot is a big fan of poutine.

And of course it's not just the game industry that rolls this way. Despite the self-professed genius and self-reliance of their leaders and structures, most corporations rely on government largesse to some extent. It's just how things are done, and the fact that Russia plays essentially the same game ranks alongside green grass and blue sky.

What makes this case interesting is what prompted the comment in the first place. Shortly after Russia banned Roblox in December 2025 over extremist content and "LGBT propaganda," Mikhail Delyagin, deputy head of the State Duma’s economic policy committee, requested that Roskomnadzor—the agency that monitors and controls mass media in the country—review the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series and, if warranted, ban them as well.

Delyagin "was absolutely horrified," according to a separate Gazeta report. "You're almost always shooting at Russian soldiers. It's a very unpleasant experience for any citizen of our country, a kind of horrific mas

Source: PC Gamer