The gaming industry has not been immune to the effects of the war in Ukraine. Last year, STALKER 2 developer GSC Games released a documentary detailing how Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 affected the game's journey to release. Now, the Russian government has set its sights on a new target located within its borders.
As cited by state-owned news portal RIA Novosti, the general prosecutor of the Tagan district court in Moscow ordered the seizure of all shares of game developer Lesta. The source also reports a ban on business activities from Malik Khatazhaev (Lesta owner) and Viktor Kisly (Wargaming owner), better known for its World of Tanks game.
The prosecutor's office accuses both Khatazhaev and Kisly of carrying out "extremist activities". The root of the process appears to be a fundraising campaign from 2023.
Wargaming.net hosted the "Wargaming United to Support Ukraine" campaign across all of its live service games to raise funds for Ukraine. The goal, according to the company, was to fund the purchase of type C ambulances for Ukrainian emergency services.
Lesta Games is currently responsible for the operation and maintenance of Wargaming titles in Russia and Belarus. The tank simulator World of Tanks...
