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- No fixed date: a computer game about the tragedy in Donbass will be released at the end of May
No fixed date: a computer game about the tragedy in Donbass will be released at the end of May
The developers of the game "Kuindzhi, 93" about the life of a volunteer in Mariupol have decided on the release date of the game — the release will take place on May 20, 2026. The authors position the project as a short story dedicated to the fate of a young resident of Donbass against the background of the events of spring 2022. Experts believe that the game performs a much more serious function than just entertainment. Izvestia was among the first to play a novelty.
The plot of the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
Izvestia got acquainted with one of the patriotic games of 2026, which will be available on May 20. "Kuindzhi, 93" is dedicated to the story of 18-year-old Artyom, who grew up in Donbass. After his father is called to the front, the hero volunteers in Mariupol, interrupting his studies and despite his mother's fears. At the same time, he does not take up arms, for which he receives the call sign "Pacifist".
Screenshot from the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
The creators of the project emphasize that the narrative does not focus on military confrontation, but on the inner world of a person who finds himself in extreme circumstances. As the representative of the Smysl Media studio noted, the game should be considered primarily as an artistic statement that raises complex social and moral issues, while the authors deliberately abandoned direct documentary, using collective images.
"The idea was to reveal exactly the existential side, with an emphasis on the reality that preceded 2022 for people who had been living in war conditions for a long time, whose suffering some devalue," explained the representative of the publisher.
By genre, "Kuindzhi, 93" is inspired by the narrative projects What Remains of Edith Finch and Firewatch. Visually and in terms of mood, the authors were guided, among other things, by the film by Donbass documentarian Maxim Fadeev "At the Edge of the Abyss."
Screenshot from the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
The project pays special attention to sound accompaniment: the game uses walkie-talkie conversations, distant explosions, footsteps, creaks and household noises, forming the effect of presence. According to the team, a realistic audio environment should enhance the emotional perception of what is happening.
Working on the game, the developers admit, has become a serious challenge.
— When it was decided to make the game, I literally drowned in the story: I reread the details, reviewed hundreds of videos, thousands of photos. At some point, it seemed impossible to create something appropriate in the format of a computer game on such a topic," said one of the authors of the project, adding that the very theme of the modern military conflict created additional complexity.
Will the game find an audience?
Igor Baranov, an expert in the gaming industry, believes that the developers have taken on a complex but significant topic that the industry is reluctant to contact.
— The gaming industry often goes either into entertainment or into safe fantasy plots, while real human tragedies remain behind the scenes. Here, the developers are trying to talk about the fate of ordinary people, about the experiences of young people, about life against the background of war and destruction. This is a bold step," he said.
Screenshot from the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
In his opinion, such projects are also important from the point of view of preserving cultural memory.
— For the younger generation, many of the events of recent years are already beginning to turn into dry news headlines. If the game is able to show through the plot and atmosphere how people went through these trials, then it performs a much more serious function than just entertainment," the expert added.
IT expert Sergey Pomortsev shares his colleague's opinion, but he notes that the authors pursue more than just artistic goals.
— In my opinion, in such projects there is not only a gaming component, but also a political component. When developers turn to an acute and still painful conflict, questions inevitably arise about which goal they set — exclusively artistic or also socio-political," he said, adding that the interactive format makes the impact of such works especially tangible.
Screenshot from the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
The Russian gaming industry has potential, despite the limited size of the market, says blogger Maxim "Max+100500" Holopolosov.
— It's about the same as in the whole world. It's just that our market is much smaller, we don't have many studios that produce games," he told Izvestia.
In his opinion, the country already has teams capable of creating competitive products, and the authors of Kuindzhi 93 are just such.
— Russian developers continue to create content and move forward, despite difficult conditions. Creative people always have an inner impulse to do something, and this urge still finds a way out. And the topics can be very different, Donbass is no worse than any other," the blogger noted.
Screenshot from the game "Kuindzhi, 93"
He also stressed the importance of international cooperation for the development of the industry, noting that the optimal scenario would be the absence of excessive barriers for those who seek to create new projects.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
