Putin raises one manicured finger and presses a button on the console before him. A mechanism in the ceiling groans to life, impossible to hear over the clinking of chains and the desperate screams of the representative from RIOT Games. The dinner guests watch aghast, some turning a sickly pale shade, as the poor fellow is lowered feet first into the crocodile pit. But Putin merely scratches his pet grizzly bear Shelepin behind the ears and lets a smile spread across his face. A minute later, the cries for help meet a choking, sputtering end.

The President of Russia spins his chair around and stares his guests in the eyes. Representatives from all the major publishers; Valve, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts. None of them meet his gaze for more than a moment. They know he couldn't care less about the nerf Sejuani had just received, and probably hadn't even read the latest patch notes. This had been... a demonstration. A promise.

"Now, gentlemen," Putin says with a smile colder than the Siberian steppes. "We will discuss localization options."