Inaugural GDC Russia fronts rapidly expanding dev culture

The Russian game development scene is booming, according to Game Developer Conference Russia director Anatoly Norenko, speaking today ahead of the event's inaugrual outing later this month.

"The development scene in Russia has been growing rapidly for the last six years," said Norenko. "According to analysts there are around 8,000 Russian people involved in the gaming industry. There are more than 300 development studios in Russia. A lot of Russian studios are used for outsourcing abroad."

Outsourcing to the east has become a hot topic in recent years, with India and China the favourite destinations for publishers sich as Ubisoft and EA.

The Russian version of GDC - the now-famous annual Californian developer conference - is to be held in Saint Petersburg next week, running from October 18-20. Norenko was keen to focus on the rising opportunity in Russia today.

"All key people of the Russian gaming industry will be at the event," he said. "Attending GDC Russia is a unique opportunity to learn about the Russian market and get useful contacts."

Both Russian and international speakers will be attending the event, including Q Entertainment's Shuji Utsumi, Bizarre Creations' Nick Davies and Brian Woodhouse, SCEE's Igor Makaruks, Eidos evergreen Ian Livingstone and Digital Factory's Ivan Movchan.

More information can be found at gdcrussia.com