In 2022, EA Sports announced that both the Russian national team and clubs would be removed from all versions of the FIFA video game series. Despite the absence of news regarding the development of a Russian version of the game, officials have indicated that work is ongoing.
Maxim Mitrofanov, Secretary General of the Russian Football Union, spoke to the state news agency TASS, providing reassurance about the project’s progress. He stated, “A similar version of the FIFA simulator is being created, without any pauses,” and predicted that the development would be completed by 2030.
Reports indicate that the development of this Russian football and hockey simulation game is being handled by SMP ESports, a company associated with Boris Rotenberg. Last spring, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko mentioned that Gazprom would oversee the launch of a Russian-language version of FIFA. The head of the Phygital Sports Federation, Nikita Nagorny, also confirmed their involvement in the project.
However, the Russian Federation of Computer Sports (FCS) has expressed skepticism regarding the prospects of this FIFA-like simulator for a domestic audience. Dmitry Smith, president of the FCS, noted that without the inclusion of global football stars, the game’s appeal would be limited outside of Russia and could struggle to secure sufficient government funding for further development.