Kazakhstan's Ministry of Science and Higher Education has launched a probe into the developers of Steppe Rider, a Kazakh language learning game that cost 241 million tenge (about $500,000). The ministry has sent requests to the National Security Committee and the Astana Department of Economic Investigations, reports infohub.kz.
At a government briefing, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek confirmed that his ministry had initiated the requests to law enforcement. "Investigative measures are currently underway. Further decisions will be announced, either in a judicial format or within the framework of an administrative violation. Now it is up to the inspecting bodies," he said.
In addition, internal checks are being conducted within the ministry itself.
It should be recalled that the project was commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. After the game was released to the public, Kazakhs criticized it for its low quality: users noted outdated graphics, numerous bugs, and flaws that spoil the user experience.
In response to the criticism, Yerbol Tleshov, Chairman of the Language Policy Committee of the Ministry of Science, explained that Steppe Rider is a pilot project and promised that by 2026 the game will be updated and refined.