Russia Plans $130M State Fund to Build Call of Duty Rival

Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development and the Internet Development Institute (IRI) prepared a framework to accept applications for state support aimed at creating a large-scale military shooter intended to rival Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. The proposal makes up to about 10 billion rubles available to qualifying studios, along with tax breaks, insurance reductions, and VAT exemptions, a combination that could translate to roughly $124–$131 million in public support.

The push follows political pressure inside the State Duma to scrutinize Call of Duty for alleged "Russophobia" and to promote domestic content that presents a Russian perspective. Deputy Mikhail Delyagin is among the lawmakers who have advocated investigating the franchise and backing homegrown alternatives. The initiative reads as both a cultural and political project as much as an entertainment venture, and it builds on prior Kremlin interest in domestic gaming and hardware initiatives.

For developers and players, the funding and incentives change the landscape in tangible ways. Ten billion rubles is enough to seed multiple mid-size studios or underwrite one high-budget AAA effort, but building a competitive multiplayer shooter requires years of development, a mature engine, robust netcode, anti-cheat infrastructure, and live-service operations such as matchmaking and server hosting. Studios that apply will need to show technical capacity and plans for campaign and multiplayer support if they hope to capture the player base now centered on Call of Duty.

Community-level concerns are immediate. A Russian state-backed shooter could be region-focused, influence esports circuits, and fragment matchmaking pools if it draws significant domestic players away from international servers. The addition of tax and VAT incentives may also tilt the economics of monetization for Russian studios - influencing choices around seasons, battle passes, and DLC. Hardware and supply chain ambitions tied to prior Kremlin initiatives could further affect how players access the game on consoles and PCs inside Russia.

The move also matters for the wider Call of Duty community. Publishers and platform holders tracking market share, server latency, and competitive scenes will watch developer responses and any policy that affects cross-border play. Modders and competitive players should monitor how a domestically backed franchise approaches netcode, tickrate, and anti-cheat enforcement, since those technical choices determine playability and fairness.

The plan surfaced January 22, 2026, and the next steps will be formal calls for applications from the Ministry and the IRI, followed by studio bids and technical proposals. Watch for announced eligibility criteria, development timelines, and which studios step forward. Verify official application details and studio statements as they appear, and track how this state-backed effort might reshape multiplayer ecosystems, esports opportunities, and narrative competition with Call of Duty in the months and years ahead.