World of Tanks developer Wargaming has announced that it will leave Russia and Belarus, with significant losses as a result.
Announcing on LinkedIn, the company said it has transferred its live game business in the two countries to Lesta Studio, which is no longer affiliated with the company. It also began to close its Minsk office in Belarus.
“The company will not profit from this process, neither today nor hereafter,” the statement said. “On the contrary, we expect to incur significant losses as a direct result of this decision.” We will provide as much severance and support as possible to our employees affected by the change.”
While no specific justification was given for this move, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent sanctions on Russian and Belarusian companies most likely caused it. Wargaming had previously donated $1 million to the Ukrainian Red Cross and fired a director for expressing support for the invasion. The company provided internal support to 550 employees in its Kyiv office.
Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, had previously asked Wargaming (and other companies) to close their offices in Russia.
Wargaming was founded in Minsk, but moved its headquarters to Cyprus in 2011. The company produces and publishes very successful games such as World fo Tanks, World of Warships and World of Warplanes. As recently as 2019, Statista polls indicated World of Tanks as the most popular game in Russia.
It's unclear what the long-term future of the company's games are in Russia and Belarus, but it says its live games will remain playable "in transition."
