The Russian government is attempting to seize World of Tanks developer Lesta Studio over ties to Ukraine. The MMO has had a tense relationship with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though things have been relatively quiet after some initial disruption during the early days of the conflict. Now, World of Tanks faces an uncertain future in the country as the state takes action against it.
Lesta Studio was once part of Wargaming, which still runs World of Tanks in most regions. However, Wargaming ended its operations in Russia and Belarus in 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine. During that shift, it moved control of the game's live services in those nations to Lesta, which split from the company around the same time. Despite that separation, the connection to Ukraine-supporting Wargaming has gotten the attention of the Russian government.
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As reported by RIA, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has asked the court to stop Lesta's ongoing activity and transfer all of its shares to the state. That would effectively move the studio under the Russian government,...
