Russia Wants Its Own Call of Duty And They’re Putting $130M on the Table

So this happened: Russia is now apparently throwing down up to roughly $130 million to seed a homegrown shooter that’s supposed to go toe-to-toe with Call of Duty, yeah, the same franchise pretty much everyone has fired a Warzone round in at some point.

Let’s unpack the vibes, the politics, and the (possible) gameplay.

The Plan: Money, Incentives, and a “Patriotic” Shooter

In a move that’s part economic ambition, part cultural strategy, government ministries in Russia are offering funds, tax breaks, insurance cuts, and VAT exemptions to any local studio brave enough to craft a military FPS large enough to compete with the Western big leagues.

Why push this? There’s talk among lawmakers about Call of Duty being “biased” against Russia, specifically claiming the Modern Warfare series paints Russian forces as bad guys too often, which is… well, definitely one interpretation.

So the solution? Build their own shooter where the narrative fits “local sensibilities”. That’s both an industry play and a geopolitical flex.

What This Game Might Be

We’re not at official logos and trailers yet, but based on the context:

• The budget ballpark (~10 billion rubles) isn’t chump change, it’s significant for a new IP, but still a lot less than what big AAA shooters like COD get spent on.

• Russian developers already have experience with local hits and misses, like Atomic Heart, which showed the world that Russian studios can make splashy shooters, but Smuta (backed by state funding) got pretty rough reviews.

• The government’s incentives are designed to sweeten the pot, but incentives don’t automatically equal world-class gameplay.

  
  

So buckle up: we’ve got ambition, money on the table, and the potential for something very strange to come out of it.

Can It Actually Compete?

Here’s the real question: can a state-backed shooter stack up against Call of Duty?

Maybe? But also… probably not “day one.”

Call of Duty budgets routinely hit hundreds of millions, not tens, and that’s before marketing, esports support, and global server infrastructure. (Fun fact: Cold War reportedly crossed $700M in development costs alone if you count marketing and lifecycle).

Compare that to the proposed Russian project, and you start getting the sense this is as much a statement as an attempt to craft the next COD killer.

Political Context, Gaming Style

A few extra spicy details that add flavor (and a bit of eyebrow raise):

• Some Russian lawmakers have publicly argued to ban Call of Duty outright, claiming it’s “propaganda.” That’s… one way to approach competitive markets.

• The narrative emphasis in any state-backed shooter could lean heavily into projecting national image, think America’s Army, but with very different storytelling priorities.

• Russia has been trying to cultivate more native gaming infrastructure for years, facing mixed results with hardware ideas and government-led studios.

  
  

All of this screams “ambitious policy meets indie dev vibes first”, which could end up either surprisingly cool or… a meme factory for the ages.

Bottom Line

Here’s the TL;DR:

• Russia is seriously funding a potential Call of Duty competitor to the tune of ~$130M.

• This initiative comes with tax breaks and government support, but also political steerage.

• Whether the end result is actually good or internationally competitive remains a big question mark.

  
  

At the end of the day, it’s hard not to see this as a mix of soft power ambition, cultural messaging, and a weird new chapter in global gaming rivalries. If nothing else, it’ll give the internet something fun to make memes about when the first gameplay trailer inevitably drops.