How to Get Listed on VK Play: The Steam Alternative in Russia and CIS
Valve, the American game developer, recently restricted the main payment methods on Steam for users from Russia, leaving PayPal or an internal Steam wallet as the only payment options. This change has caused difficulties for Russian users who are unable to legally purchase games on foreign sites. In response, VK has decided to launch VK Play, a gaming platform that aims to become a single access point for the entire gaming community in Russia.
According to Artem Chermenin, Director of Strategic Development at VK Play, the Russian gaming market was valued at 177 billion rubles in 2021, with an audience of over 80 million people. VK Play intends to become a Russian analogue of Steam and Epic Games by exclusively representing games from various studios.
VK Play aims to offer a diversified catalogue of gaming and near-gaming content in Russia. VK is already in negotiations with game development studios for exclusive representation agreements on their platform. They offer favorable conditions such as a low 5% commission, marketing support, and flexible formats of cooperation for developers who want to grow their products effectively on the Russian market.
What is VK Play
At present, VK Play serves as a hub for gamers, developers, and creators, with ongoing development aimed at transforming it into a comprehensive alternative to Steam in Russia. Even in its current state, VK Play offers a range of features, such as game purchases, live streaming, tournaments, cloud gaming, and more.
Direct Games and Web Games
VKontakte categorizes gaming applications into two types based on the platform they run on:
Direct Games are games that can be launched from VKontakte mobile apps for Android or iOS, as well as in the mobile version of the VKontakte website (https://m.vk.com).
Web games are games that run on the desktop version of the VKontakte website (https://vk.com).
Getting into the VK Play Catalogue
In order to be listed in the VK Play catalogue, your game must pass the moderation process. To initiate this process, you need to submit a request and address any issues that the moderator may identify. Once the game meets the necessary criteria, it will be added to the catalogue.
Instructions on how to prepare your game for moderation and the specific requirements that it must meet are available in detail.
QB Agency Game Marketing experts can assist in preparing your game for moderation while adhering to all platform requirements. They can also help submit the game for moderation and quickly identify any errors that may need to be fixed in case the project is rejected by VK Play moderation.
In addition to the technical aspects required for successful moderation, it is important to consider localization: the primary language of the game should be Russian.
The entire moderation process usually takes no longer than a week. Once the game passes the moderation, it will be made available to players, and you can start promoting it to Russian-speaking users. Check out the article to learn more about how to effectively promote your game on the VK Play platform.
To conclude
VK Play is rapidly expanding its resources and attracting more developers and gamers. As professionals in the field of game promotion in the Russian-speaking market, we believe that this project has great potential in Russia and the CIS countries. It is uncertain when major players like Steam will return to the market, if they return at all. As the difficulties with purchasing games on foreign platforms persist, it is likely that Russian players will decrease their buying activity and seek alternative options. VK Play is poised to be a popular alternative for gamers seeking a platform to buy and play games.