Research results that the player population of pirated games increased to 70% due to the withdrawal of game companies from Russia, and the loss of profits amounted to 42 billion yen

Torrentfreak reports that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the withdrawal of Western companies from Ukraine have had a major impact on the video game market. In a survey conducted in 2022 targeting Russian game users, 51% answered that they ``purchased more pirated editions than ever'', and 7 out of 10 said ``at least one pirated copy. Some estimates point out that the lost profits of American and European publishers may be equivalent to $ 300 million (about 42 billion yen).

70% of Russian Gamers Are Pirates Following Western Publisher Exodus * TorrentFreak
https://torrentfreak.com/70-of-russian-gamers-are-pirates-following-western-publisher-exodus-230720/

Many events have contributed to the rise and fall of online piracy rates over the past two decades, but the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is perhaps the most significant of them all. The complete withdrawal of Western companies from Russia, including entertainment, has had a major impact on the availability of content within Russia. Entertainment content such as movies, music, and games can be accessed before 2022, but it is difficult to access newer content.

According to a survey conducted by online development platform School XYZ, the number of gamers playing pirated games in Russia has surged after major international game publishers withdrew from the Russian market. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) said they had played at least one pirated game in 2022. In addition, more than half, 51%, said they started playing bootlegs more than in 2021.

More than a quarter of respondents, 27%, said they would have obtained three pirated PC games in 2022, and 20% confessed to getting their hands on 10 or more pirated copies. Only 7% of gamers said that they were against piracy and did not buy any games in 2022, and conversely, 94% of gamers had at least one pirated version.

``The withdrawal of publishers such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo is not the only reason why gamers are forced to play pirated versions,'' said Alexander Kuzmenko, former editor of Russian game magazine and game media Igromania.Since easily accessible game distribution platforms such as Steam and GOG no longer support Russian banks and credit cards, barriers have appeared in the previously frictionless system.

“Players used to be able to buy games on Steam with one click, but now they download pirated versions of games in much the same way,” said Yagor Tomsky, CEO of WatStudio.