World of Tanks developer is quitting Russia and Belarus

[midian182]

What just happened? Belarusian World of Tanks developer Wargaming has announced that it is pulling out of Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine. The company says it has been conducting a strategic review of business operations worldwide over the last few weeks and has decided it will no longer own or operate any businesses in either country.

Wargaming wrote in a LinkedIn post that it transferred its live games business in Russia and Belarus to the local management of Saint Petersburg-based Lesta Studio, which is no longer affiliated with the company. Wargaming emphasized that it will not profit from this move but instead expects to experience substantial losses as a result of the decision.

During the transition period, live products will remain available in Russia and Belarus and will be operated by the new owner. Wargaming added that the company is also in the process of closing down its studio in Minsk, Belarus.

"Heads of Products and Services will be meeting with their teams shortly to discuss the impact of this decision on each department," the company wrote in the press release.

The favorite video games of Russians in 2019

While Wargaming doesn't mention the reason behind its decision, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions placed on it and Belarus will doubtlessly have led to the move.

Russian Victor Kislyi founded Wargaming in the Belarus capital of Minsk but moved its headquarters to Cyprus in 2011. It has over 19 offices globally, including in Australia, Paris, Chicago, Berlin, and England.

A few weeks ago, World of Tanks creative director Sergey Burkatovskiy came out in public support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wargaming, which employs hundreds of developers in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, said that the statement was his own opinion, and it categorically does not coincide with the position of the studio. Burkatovskiy was fired from the company.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/94040-world-tanks-developer-quitting-russia-belarus.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

It's so sad and pathetic that we see these lunatics trying to cancel an entire country.

"Virtue signaling" on a global level is absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous especially considering it was the policies of the west's NATO that encroached on Russia and forced them to react.

I'm not worried about it because Russia will continue to defy these Charlatans with the support of BRICS and they'll eventually be bankrupted by recession and stagflation caused by energy prices.

 

[Squid Surprise]

It's so sad and pathetic that we see these lunatics trying to cancel an entire country.

"Virtue signaling" on a global level is absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous especially considering it was the policies of the west's NATO that encroached on Russia and forced them to react.

I'm not worried about it because Russia will continue to defy these Charlatans with the support of BRICS and they'll eventually be bankrupted by recession and stagflation caused by energy prices.

Wow... you actually believe Russia was "forced" to invade Ukraine... I think you need to take a deep breath and maybe do some critical thinking...

 

[fps4ever]

Wow... you actually believe Russia was "forced" to invade Ukraine... I think you need to take a deep breath and maybe do some critical thinking...

Don't feed the troll. He has the same type of opinions for China. Waste of replying.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Wow... you actually believe Russia was "forced" to invade Ukraine... I think you need to take a deep breath and maybe do some critical thinking...

Well - Russia could have simply let NATO envelope itself like an amoeba.

Russia could have allowed the continued, financed, attacks on Russian people in the Donbas.

They chose option B...

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Wow... you actually believe Russia was "forced" to invade Ukraine... I think you need to take a deep breath and maybe do some critical thinking...

There's a possibility your media has been completely corrupted and propagandized.

Tell you what: answer 3 questions:

#1 Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
#2 What was Putin himself claiming was the reason for the attack - since 2014...?
#3 What happened in Ukraine during 2014 to the government and who was responsible for it?

Regardless what you believe, the future can't be stopped.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Well - Russia could have simply let NATO envelope itself like an amoeba.

Russia could have allowed the continued, financed, attacks on Russian people in the Donbas.

They chose option B...

Had they decided to actually DEAL with the EU, NATO and Ukraine... instead of simply attempting to bully them... it would never have come to this...

While Ukraine is far from the "bastion of democracy" that the West has attempted to portray, they are still lightyears ahead of Russia when it comes to the freedom of their populace.

There's a possibility your media has been completely corrupted and propagandized.

Tell you what: answer 3 questions:

#1 Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
#2 What was Putin himself claiming was the reason for the attack - since 2014...?
#3 What happened in Ukraine during 2014 to the government and who was responsible for it?

Regardless what you believe, the future can't be stopped.

Edit: (By the way, next time EDIT your posts - no need to reply twice!)

#1 Russia says they invaded Ukraine because a modern, westernized Ukraine would be a threat to them...
Of course, the actual threat would be Russians seeing how well their neighbours were living and might ask their leaders "why are we living in squalor while Ukrainians are free?"

#2 See #1 - I actually don't see why Russia shouldn't have the Crimea... they have been contested for centuries and no country has any greater claim to the territory...

#3 Really?!?!/ This proves MY point, not yours.... The Ukrainian government, which had been about to sign a free trade agreement with the EU, suddenly faced Russian pressure to sign with Russia instead...
The response was to depose the Russian puppets in charge of the country and replace them with democratically elected leaders... While the Ukrainian democracy might not be truly "free"... it is still WAY ahead of Russia's!

 

[scavengerspc]

Had they decided to actually DEAL with the EU, NATO and Ukraine... instead of simply attempting to bully them... it would never have come to this...

While Ukraine is far from the "bastion of democracy" that the West has attempted to portray, they are still lightyears ahead of Russia when it comes to the freedom of their populace.


Edit: (By the way, next time EDIT your posts - no need to reply twice!)

#1 Russia says they invaded Ukraine because a modern, westernized Ukraine would be a threat to them...
Of course, the actual threat would be Russians seeing how well their neighbours were living and might ask their leaders "why are we living in squalor while Ukrainians are free?"

#2 See #1 - I actually don't see why Russia shouldn't have the Crimea... they have been contested for centuries and no country has any greater claim to the territory...

#3 Really?!?!/ This proves MY point, not yours.... The Ukrainian government, which had been about to sign a free trade agreement with the EU, suddenly faced Russian pressure to sign with Russia instead...
The response was to depose the Russian puppets in charge of the country and replace them with democratically elected leaders... While the Ukrainian democracy might not be truly "free"... it is still WAY ahead of Russia's!

Well written, but it will still fall on the hands over the ears fools out there.

Of course, the actual threat would be Russians seeing how well their neighbours were living and might ask their leaders "why are we living in squalor while Ukrainians are free?"

This caught my attention because in fact that has been going on there for a long time. Life in Ukraine was very much like in most of Europe and the US\Canada. And yes, like us, they even have their share of traitors like what we saw on 106.

 

[Burty117]

Regardless what you believe, the future can't be stopped.

You're absolutely right, the people of Ukraine would prefer to be a democracy with elected leaders and able to do business with their neighbours, That's what they want their future to be.

Russia on the other hand...

NATO didn't force anything, Ukraine and it's people don't want a puppet government in power like Belarus (good example of what Russia does to it's neighbours vs Europe).

If you love Russia and the way it's run, why do you live in America? Oh that's right, because you actually quite like the freedom to do whatever you want and vote on whatever you want.
It might seem alien to you, but other people exist in this world and here's another shocker, not all of them like being invaded and controlled by a singular person.

And come on, if your neighbour keeps annexing your land, taking over sections of your country and tries so hard to force who's in charge, wouldn't you also want to sign up to NATO so you can finally have a bit of protection from your bully of a neighbour?

 

[dangh]

Well - Russia could have simply let NATO envelope itself like an amoeba.

Russia could have allowed the continued, financed, attacks on Russian people in the Donbas.

They chose option B...

First of all, NATO has never ever attacked or perform military missions outside its borders. It is strictly defensive pact. If Russia feel endangered by the fact they can't attack small countries like Estonia or Slovakia, then that is already something wrong with their heads. Russia already attacked Georgia, put some figureheads in chechenia and so on... I see only one aggressor here. They complain more or less that some countries makes pact so they can't bully them all. Shocking.
Second, noone was attacking Russian peope in Donbas initially, the russian people in Donbas with russian agents created a riot and attacked government because they wanted to have Russian language as official - instead of Ukrainian. Ukraine has its own official languages, and any miinorities living there should be using it. Do you have any riots in US that Spanish is not official language there? lol. Plus some other stuff, but interesting enough, same as with Crimea, all of those 'concerned citizens' military groups were backed by ruskie special forces.
And in the end raping, killing, massacring civillians, pillaging, destroying everything around by russian forces is something which can not be in any way supported.

 

[Uncle Al]

There you go! Now all the kids that are gamer's / hackers will get pissed off and go after the government for causing their gaming misery .... who else can we get to join the club? Putin will have to dig a much deeper bunker and he better how his military isn't full of gamer's or there won't be a hole deep enough for him to hide in!!!

 

[OortCloud]

It's so sad and pathetic that we see these lunatics trying to cancel an entire country.

"Virtue signaling" on a global level is absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous especially considering it was the policies of the west's NATO that encroached on Russia and forced them to react.

I'm not worried about it because Russia will continue to defy these Charlatans with the support of BRICS and they'll eventually be bankrupted by recession and stagflation caused by energy prices.

We all know how much you love to make controversial statements on here. They usually make you sound like a bellend. This is no exception.

 

[Nobina]

When you see some Ukrainian person crying because someone they care about has died in a war tell them "don't worry, we banned Russian people from playing World of Tanks". That oughtta help.

 

[scavengerspc]

They usually make you sound like a bellend

Ok, I had to look that up. Happy?

 

[kiwigraeme]

The company has made the right decision - money is not everything .
Always laugh how still anti-woke people are such hypocrites - they are the ones you mainly get upset when an independent body does an independent action . but but but aleopardatemyface .
When I see Assad , Putin, Trump I see weakness - yet I understand others including those who like to flex see someone to adore and simp for .
There is a huge brain drain out of Russia at the moment . It's not that the top of the fish is rotten - Russia has been raping , killing , ethnic cleansing for a long time.
eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassian_genocide
Many Russians still love Stalin

You see what is coming out of Ukraine . Russians do this in every war vs Germans, Afghanistan, Chechnya , Syria , Poland , Finland, Siberia , Central Asia etc etc

They kill and torture their own
Is it a wonder when the soldiers to this as normal as anything - look at hazing of conscripts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedovshchina

Of course Tantor spoke of his Serbian Brothers - again systematic ethnic cleansing , rape camps .
Putin has spread and enforce Propaganda the West is weak - they are the Master race .
Unfortunately this pathological nature - is quite endemic in Russia - They the Russian hope to get a little of the spoils from Ukraine resources (gas fields, wheat etc ).
Old Russia is finished they have shown to be weak - But they will change and become strong - where anyone can flourish no matter their colour or sexuality - where all the good things Russia does can be showcased - where you don't need a Father figure to control you ( The Mafia look after their own better than Putin )

It will take decades - Ukraine and 100s of Millions before have paid in blood and sorrow by Russian weakness and cruelty ( Including 10s of millions of Russians )

If you have to rave about your possessions etc - how happy can you be ?- Though seriously QP - you can do that - I don't care it's a running joke to me . But when and what will you stand up for ?- The systematic violation of a large number of women and children - does not seem to do it ? -this is the tip of the iceberg - more revelations coming soon .
You know the reason to promote Globalisation - not just win win on trade - but to stop the them and us hatred - Me and only Me first.
Tantor understand he's protecting his identity - that Russia is a good guy ( He knows it's not true as he can't bring honesty and criticise Russia ( I can criticise NZ easily ) ) - but you???

 

[Aaron Fox]

Always laugh how still anti-woke people are such hypocrites

Woke/wokeness is horrible terminology. Terminology that makes it more difficult to communicate shouldn't be used.

The actual subject is morality (aka civility), not really a new concept since it has been at the heart of the field of philosophy (and the quasi-field of religion) from the start. It's also the ostensible basis for politics (ostensible because politics is mainly about scamming people by giving them less information and less leverage to use what information they have).

All the debating comes down to what is more moral versus less moral. Beyond that is the big question: 'What am I prepared to do about it?'

 

[kiwigraeme]

Woke/wokeness is horrible terminology. Terminology that makes it more difficult to communicate shouldn't be used.

The actual subject is morality (aka civility), not really a new concept since it has been at the heart of the field of philosophy (and the quasi-field of religion) from the start. It's also the ostensible basis for politics (ostensible because politics is mainly about scamming people by giving them less information and less leverage to use what information they have).

All the debating comes down to what is more moral versus less moral. Beyond that is the big question: 'What am I prepared to do about it?'

I agree, A lot of things have been weaponised . It's an interesting subject - I will take pot shots at both sides - Can't stand people getting offended on behalf of others . Even QP has a point with virtue signaling . Nor using something as a blunt instrument . JK Rowlands comments - whether right or wrong - was a segue to fruitful discussion .
Arnie Swartzenegger did a nice video trying to nudge people in the right direction WRT Russia .
I understand my rantings will not persuade Russians at the moment - Putins popularity has gone up - It will dissipate .
Speak to Austrians now about Kurt Waldheim- Austrians huddled together and voted him in - Now Austrians are more critical about his Nazi past .
At the moment the world is angry at apologist, GQP nuts - just asking questions - looks like a false flag op to me = will not be tolerated .
Democracy needs for people to stand up and be counted - and I will stand up to Putin's lapdogs . Russia needs to see the anger - that the world will no longer accept their crimes

 

[Bobbydpue]

It's so sad and pathetic that we see these lunatics trying to cancel an entire country.

"Virtue signaling" on a global level is absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous especially considering it was the policies of the west's NATO that encroached on Russia and forced them to react.

I'm not worried about it because Russia will continue to defy these Charlatans with the support of BRICS and they'll eventually be bankrupted by recession and stagflation caused by energy prices.

What you've wrote is the dumbest thing I've read on the internet and here is why:

NATO is a defense organization. They do not negatively affect the safety of any country. Ukraine was not a member of NATO and their only reason to be a member of NATO is to protect them from Russia. They wouldn't have asked to join NATO if Russia wasn't threatening Ukraines security.

But lets talk about the biggest reason what you wrote was stupid: Russia has been attacking Ukraine for at least 8 years on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine wasn't sending troops over the boarder to fight a much larger country. Russia is attacking a much smaller country with a much smaller military while blaming the smaller country for the attacks. How can someone be so gullible to believe what Putin is saying when he's clearly a liar. He said they wouldn't invade Ukraine, but then they did. Russia's government said they aren't going to take over the country, but they clearly intend to, they said they weren't targeting civilians, but they clearly are. Russia's government can't be trusted.

If Ukraine joined NATO Russia would have likely not invaded, because Ukraine didn't join NATO and Russia has been attacking Ukraine since, at least 2014, and because no one's tried to stop them they invaded Ukraine once they were prepared for it. Ukraine wasn't a threat to Russia and clearly Russia was a threat to Ukraine. Saying it's NATO's or Ukraine's fault is ridiculous when neither organization is a threat to Russia and Russia has been the aggressor for at least 8 years. That's like breaking into your neighbors home, attacking them, and saying it's their fault once they try to defend themselves.

 

[ypsylon]

I'll stay on topic thank you very much.

Well, well, I never thought WG will have the balls to do it. So on that count I have to respect this move. Even knowing how scummy they were/are at extorting people money for no gain.

Why they doing this. Well I would think of 2 major factors. 1 Licensing agreements & software. 2. There is no money is Russia or Belarus.

1. Licensing plays here huge role for sure. For such big gamedev studio there is no such thing as permanent license or free upgrade. Everything is subscription locked in time. So now or in couple months things like Autodesk, Unity, Octane and all other 3D tools will simply cease to function and that = the end of the WG as a company.

2. Yes WoT is very popular in Russia, but not World of Warships - the 2nd mainstay title of WG. All money in this title is in the EU and USA which has smaller population, but much more "whales". Overwhelming majority of staff is in EU, HQ is in Prague. Server statistics for WoWs went down significantly in the EU. When you lose over 10k players from average server load of about 30k inside 4 weeks, top brass will notice that. That's serious threat to the bottom line. Also WoT market deliver much more income from EU than from Russia and Belarus combined. All WG content in Russia is priced much lower than other countries (even adjusting for VAT and other taxes).

 

[VaRmeNsI]

WoT is garbage anyways.

 

[Paul Deemer]

It's so sad and pathetic that we see these lunatics trying to cancel an entire country.

"Virtue signaling" on a global level is absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous especially considering it was the policies of the west's NATO that encroached on Russia and forced them to react.

I'm not worried about it because Russia will continue to defy these Charlatans with the support of BRICS and they'll eventually be bankrupted by recession and stagflation caused by energy prices.

The Russian Economy will be Ashes long before the west.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Had they decided to actually DEAL with the EU, NATO and Ukraine... instead of simply attempting to bully them... it would never have come to this...

While Ukraine is far from the "bastion of democracy" that the West has attempted to portray, they are still lightyears ahead of Russia when it comes to the freedom of their populace.


Edit: (By the way, next time EDIT your posts - no need to reply twice!)

#1 Russia says they invaded Ukraine because a modern, westernized Ukraine would be a threat to them...
Of course, the actual threat would be Russians seeing how well their neighbours were living and might ask their leaders "why are we living in squalor while Ukrainians are free?"

#2 See #1 - I actually don't see why Russia shouldn't have the Crimea... they have been contested for centuries and no country has any greater claim to the territory...

#3 Really?!?!/ This proves MY point, not yours.... The Ukrainian government, which had been about to sign a free trade agreement with the EU, suddenly faced Russian pressure to sign with Russia instead...
The response was to depose the Russian puppets in charge of the country and replace them with democratically elected leaders... While the Ukrainian democracy might not be truly "free"... it is still WAY ahead of Russia's!

Not once in the history of the world have sanctions EVER overthrown a country. All they have ever achieved is ruining the lives of civilians and driving resentment against the west. Anyone claiming these sanctions will help to end the war is virtue signaling.

So, mission accomplished, the west finally got their russian puppet back to blame everything against. All this to defend ukraine, a country that up until january 2022 the legacy media was harping as a "far right white ethnostate of racists" but suddenly is the mecha of liberal ideology just because they're fighting putin.

As far as dealing, dont forget they DID try to deal. They openly worked with both bush and obama, providing them intel for the US's 20 year middle east vacation, all on the promise that america would stop trying to push NATO closer to russia. Then of course NATO walked back on their word and began pushing in ukraine again in the early 2000s, leading to the current shitshow.

I dont like russia, nor putin, but watching the west absolve themselves of any wrong doing because of big bad daddy putin is just sickening.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Not once in the history of the world have sanctions EVER overthrown a country. All they have ever achieved is ruining the lives of civilians and driving resentment against the west. Anyone claiming these sanctions will help to end the war is virtue signaling.

So, mission accomplished, the west finally got their russian puppet back to blame everything against. All this to defend ukraine, a country that up until january 2022 the legacy media was harping as a "far right white ethnostate of racists" but suddenly is the mecha of liberal ideology just because they're fighting putin.

As far as dealing, dont forget they DID try to deal. They openly worked with both bush and obama, providing them intel for the US's 20 year middle east vacation, all on the promise that america would stop trying to push NATO closer to russia. Then of course NATO walked back on their word and began pushing in ukraine again in the early 2000s, leading to the current shitshow.

I dont like russia, nor putin, but watching the west absolve themselves of any wrong doing because of big bad daddy putin is just sickening.

Actually, sanctions (and a misguided war in Afghanistan) pretty much ended the old USSR... I can understand the West's belief that sanctions and a misguided war in Ukraine might do the same to Russia...

Oh... and actually... sanctions HAVE worked in other places... here are some examples

1) Between 1961 and 1965, the United States applied sanctions against the Dominion of Ceylon (what is now Sri Lanka) after the socialist government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike was accused of expropriating the assets of U.S. and British oil companies. The government fell in 1965, largely because of the economic effects of these sanctions.

2)The United States (and other nations) significantly cut aid to Malawi in 1992 in a bid to improve the democratic standards and human rights situation in Malawi. Malawi was largely reliant on aid (the sanctions were estimated to cost 6.6% of its GNP) and swiftly adopted more open policies. After a referendum, multi-party democracy was introduced in 1993, and aid was soon resumed.

3) In 1993, after Guatemalan President Jorge Serrano dissolved Congress and said he would rule by decree, the United States and European nations threatened sanctions. Business owners, scared of the economic effects, helped force Serrano out of power and installed a new president, Ramiro de Leon Carpio.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Actually, sanctions (and a misguided war in Afghanistan) pretty much ended the old USSR... I can understand the West's belief that sanctions and a misguided war in Ukraine might do the same to Russia...

That wasn't just sanctions though. The economey of the USSR was falling apart as soon as the early 60s, with insane beuracracy developing to prevent any sort of unemployment rate combined with seemingly drug fueled decision making by pretty much every higher up within the party. Wacky communist economics man.

Without the sanctions the USSR may have doen better, but it would have still collapsed from the social revolutions in eastern europe. It was a house of cards that simply wasnt sustainable, as they refused to move to a more capitalist economey to fund them, ala china and vietnam.

 

[Bobbydpue]

Then of course NATO walked back on their word and began pushing in ukraine again in the early 2000s, leading to the current shitshow.

I dont like russia, nor putin, but watching the west absolve themselves of any wrong doing because of big bad daddy putin is just sickening.

NATO does not push countries to join. It's the other way around and NATO didn't allow Ukraine to join, because they didn't to go to war with Russia. The west didn't cross a sovereign nations boarders and start attacking it, but Russian's government did well before 2014 and then started attacking Ukraine when Ukraine didn't want to be ruled by a Putin sympathizer. I don't see what NATO had to do with Russian Government/Military actions.