World of Tanks Devs Leave Russia and Belarus
Wargaming has announced the termination of its operations in Russia and Belarus. Although it was not said explicitly, it is most likely related to the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
More game companies abandon Russia and Belarus. Today, such a step was announced by Wargaming - the developer and publisher of popular free-to-play titles, among others, World of Tanks or World of Warships.
Let's add that this is a Belarusian company, although its headquarters are now based in Cyprus.
Escaping the Russian ship
The studio announced the decision in an official announcement on its website.
"Over the past weeks, Wargaming has been conducting a strategic review of business operations worldwide. The company has decided it will not own or operate any businesses in Russia and Belarus and will leave both countries.
Effective March 31 the company transferred its live games business in Russia and Belarus to local management of Lesta Studio that is no longer affiliated with Wargaming. The company will not profit from this process either today or going forward. Much to the contrary we expect to suffer substantial losses as a direct result of this decision."
Wargaming has indicated that its games will continue to be available in these countries during the transition period, with ongoing issues to be handled by the new owner.
Wargaming's Minsk studio will also be closed, which, apart from the headquarters in Nicosia, was one of the most important branches of the company.
The company has assured that all employees affected by this change will be financially supported by severance packages.
You can read more about the gaming industry's response to the war in Ukraine here:
Although not explicitly stated, it is not hard to guess that the company's withdrawal from Russia and Belarus has to do with the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for over five weeks now.
It is worth reminding here that a month ago the studio fired its creative director for social media posts in which he supported the aggression of Vladimir Putin's troops.
