Russia threatens to seize World Of Tanks studio's assets, accusing executives of extremism
1 min read
Summary
Russian authorities have threatened to seize the assets of the studios behind Free2Play battler World of Tanks over allegations of “extremist activities” relating to the war in Ukraine
Developers Wargaming and Lesta Games, who currently manages the game in Russian territories, have both been affected by the decision, with Lesta Games seemingly the main target.
The Moscow-based studio filed a complaint in response to challenge the decision, with authorities claiming CEO Viktor Kisly is involved in an “association carrying out extremist activities”
World of Tanks developers have been targetted by the Russian state previously, with the company’s chief business development officer added to the terrorist watch list in 2023.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wargaming announced it was cutting ties with its Russian and Belarussian studios, but the game remained playable in those regions.
This latest move exposes the company to brutal SAR529m ($7.3bn) fine and potential imprisonment for executives if they don’t comply.
