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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Mail.Ru Games Ventures (MRGV) and Unity Technologies announced a strategic partnership in 2018 under which Unity-made games could be considered for MRGV investment. The arrangement also described technical, analytical and other business support for teams that received funding. It was not a grant for every Unity developer, and the available sources do not establish that the partnership or its application route remains active.
What Mail.Ru and Unity announced
On June 7, 2018, GamesBeat reported that Mail.Ru Group had partnered with Unity Technologies around potential investment in “Made with Unity” projects. Unity was to provide technical and analytical support to projects funded through MRGV. GamesBeat’s June 2018 report covered the announcement.
Mail.Ru Group’s 2018 annual report describes a strategic partnership with Unity and Epic Games. It says engine-company partners would help MRGV identify teams for cooperation and investment. Teams funded by MRGV could also access Mail.Ru resources, including analytical data and tools, marketing instruments, data-security technologies and gaming services such as marketplaces. Mail.Ru Group’s 2018 annual report is the company’s account of the partnership.
What the opportunity did—and did not—promise
Funding was selective
The announcement concerned Unity developers and projects that MRGV might consider for investment. It did not say that using Unity qualified a developer for automatic funding, or that every applicant would receive money. The sources do not state specific application criteria, deal terms, investment amounts per studio or selection timelines.
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Support was tied to funded teams
The support described was associated with projects receiving MRGV funding. The materials mention technical and analytical assistance from Unity and access to Mail.Ru’s analytics, marketing, security and gaming-service resources. They do not establish that these services were available to all Unity developers or spell out exactly what each funded team would receive.
How the 2018 partnership fit Mail.Ru’s investment plans
Mail.Ru Group had announced its games investment division on April 25, 2017. Its release said the division proposed up to $100 million in potential long-term funding, with $10 million already allocated for initial deals. Those were figures and plans in the 2017 announcement—not evidence that the same funds remained available when the Unity partnership was announced in 2018 or that they are available now. Mail.Ru Group’s 2017 announcement said the initiative was open to developers in Russia and globally and could support both established businesses seeking to scale and younger developers. It named royalty investments and mergers and acquisitions among possible approaches.
In 2019, Mail.Ru Group’s investor presentation showed a historical games portfolio snapshot listing 13 venture investments. That provides later context about its investment activity, but does not confirm the Unity partnership’s continuing availability or an open application process. Mail.Ru Group’s 2019 investor presentation is a historical portfolio reference.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can Unity developers apply today?
The sources establish that the partnership was announced in 2018 and describe its intended investment and support model. They do not verify that MRGV still accepts applications through this partnership, identify a current application page, or provide current eligibility rules. Developers should therefore treat the announcement as historical rather than as an actionable offer unless Mail.Ru or a successor program independently confirms current availability.
For a studio evaluating any current funding route, the questions left unanswered by the 2018 materials include whether applications are open, which regions and project stages qualify, what investment structures are offered, and what support accompanies a deal. The announcement itself does not supply those terms.
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