Moscow hosted the first-ever International Game Week, the largest professional video game event ever held in Russia. For four days, the city transformed into a global hub connecting developers, publishers, and IT companies from around the world.
The business programme brought together more than 200 experts and famous developers from over 20 countries, including China, India, Egypt, Peru, Vietnam, Argentina, and Uzbekistan. More than 330 venues across Moscow joined the citywide programme — from esports arenas and computer clubs to cinemas, cultural institutions, and universities. In total, Moscow International Game Week attracted around 150,000 visitors.
A national record was set during the event — the largest esports tournament in Russia to date. The “Grand Tournament of Moscow International Game Week,” held across 730 computer clubs in 84 regions, brought together more than 4,600 players. Overall, the competitions attracted 116,000 people across Russia.
Opening of the Moscow Game Hub
The flagship moment of the event was the official opening of the first stage of the new Moscow Game Hub. This unique innovative space offers a full-cycle ecosystem for video game and animation production — from development and testing to launching projects on Russian and international markets. As of now, 41 companies have become Moscow Game Hub’s residents.
International gaming and IT industries experts come together to share thoughts
The business programme took place at the Moscow Game Hub and featured over 50 sessions, including panel discussions, pitch sessions, and masterclasses. The speaker list included executives from leading global companies and celebrated game developers from China, India, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
Key themes included expanding international partnerships, the global potential of Russian studios, developing new educational pathways for young talent, and supporting the international distribution of game projects.
Moscow International Game Week became Russia’s first large-scale global platform for negotiations and deal-making in the gaming industry. During the event, Moscow-based studios held over 250 meetings with partners and investors from Asia and the Middle East about entering new markets.
The Week also saw the signing of 15 strategic agreements between the Moscow Game Hub (through the Moscow Agency for Creative Industries) and leading technological, educational, and industry organisations. The agreements laid the foundation for new initiatives supporting the development of Moscow’s game ecosystem, as well as expanded international cooperation.
Moscow as the capital of video gaming
For four days, Moscow became the country’s largest gaming space. Esports tournaments, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and premieres took over the city. Computer clubs, electronics stores, museums, universities, cinemas, board-game shops, and restaurants joined the celebration.
At the Moscow Game Hub, visitors explored a large exhibition of Russian studios and tested new game releases. More than 60 exhibitors participated, collectively presenting over 100 video games.
The Week also featured a full lineup of major esports events, uniting Moscow’s best esports arenas and participants from 84 regions of Russia. More than 10 professional tournaments were held across disciplines such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and StarCraft: Brood War. Competitions took place at leading esports arenas and online via the Moscow Cybersport platform.
Night of Video Games: A Highlight of the Festival
One of the most vibrant events of the week was the Night of Video Games, held on November 29–30 at VK Play Arena — one of the key locations of the festival. For one night, the venue turned into a giant hybrid gaming hub with interactive zones, tournaments, quizzes, and retro gaming areas featuring iconic machines and consoles from the 80s and 90s.
Guests watched a special show match between Russian Counter-Strike champion Dosia and Chinese gaming influencer Xiaoyao Xiaofeng, danced to high-energy sets by DJ Smash, explored cosplay stations, played board games, and took part in casual and competitive tournaments across popular disciplines.
(India CSR)
