World of Tanks developer leaving Russia and Belarus

By Tom West,

Wargaming has announced it "will not own or operate any businesses in Russia and Belarus," and that Lesta Studio will maintain the online services in the region. The studio is no longer affiliated with Wargaming, and the company will not earn profit from the process in the future.

According to Wargaming's recent announcement: After a strategic review of the company's business operations, it has decided that it "will not own or operate any businesses in Russia and Belarus and will leave both countries." The withdrawal has already begun, with St. Petersburg-based Lesta Studio now having local management of Wargaming's live games in those regions — Lesta Studio is now no longer affiliated with Wargaming, and the company won't receive any profits from the process. Wargaming also says it's closing another studio in Minsk, Belarus.

The World of Tanks and World of Warships: Legends developer is expecting "substantial losses" following the transition, and while it won't be receiving any profits, its live products will remain available in Russia and Belarus under the management of the new owner, Lesta Studio.

Wargaming says that it will provide "as much severance and support as possible to our employees affected by the change." The safety and support of its employees will be a focus for the company, but the transition will be completed as swiftly as possible.

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Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.