World of Warships [Wargaming.net]

[Ithekro]

World of Warships is doing a collab with Legend of the Galactic Heroes: https://blog.worldofwarships.com/blog/183

[Firefly00]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

World of Warships is doing a collab with Legend of the Galactic Heroes...

While I'm exactly a fan of how this game monetizes some things ('expendable camouflage' reminds me of the brouhaha which arose with respect to shaders in Destiny 2), I have no problem agreeing that the art team seems to once again be on the ball. And I am again reminded that Koei has pretty much left their Naval Ops/Warship Gunner franchise fallow (apparently a small dev has reacted to step into the resulting gap).

[Ithekro]

I like the Kansas camo for some reason.

[Renegade334]

Huh.

Over the past weeks, Wargaming has been conducting a strategic review of business operations worldwide. The company has decided it will not own or operate any businesses in Russia and Belarus and will leave both countries.

Effective March 31 the company transferred its live games business in Russia and Belarus to local management of Lesta Studio that is no longer affiliated with Wargaming. The company will not profit from this process either today or going forward. Much to the contrary we expect to suffer substantial losses as a direct result of this decision.

We will be completing the operational transition with all due speed while remaining in full compliance with all laws and ensuring the ongoing safety and support of our employees. During the transition period the live products will remain available in Russia and Belarus and will be operated by the new owner.

Wargaming has also started the process of closing its studio in Minsk, Belarus.

We will be providing as much severance and support as possible to our employees affected by the change.

Despite the magnitude of this decision, we as a company are confident in the future of our business and are committed to delivering quality games to our players.

Not really of any import to me anymore, as I haven't played in quite a while and am letting the ever-decreasing remainder of my premium time dwindle towards a flat zero. In hindsight, I think I fell out of love with the game when they started pumping out all those high-DPM destroyers and cruisers. The captain skill and CV reworks and now the subs only served to hammer additional nails into the coffin of my interest for the game. Hell, I couldn't even be persuaded into grinding the GK's replacement, the Tier X KMS Preußen, or work my way up to the Schlieffen on the new battlecruiser line.

The cynical side of my brain sees this official announcement as the first step of a highly pragmatic, survival-oriented, [long-term] business strategy, in light of the intense cold shoulder given to both Russian and Belarus and the economical difficulties derived therefrom (and I highly doubt WG wants to sink with that boat), but given that one of the WG studios was in Ukraine (Kiev) when the war broke out, it must've put some of the higher-ups into an untenable position and the latest news filtering in from places like Bucha must by now no longer broker any potential room for neutrality. To be fair and give to Caesar what is owed to Caesar, WG did fire SerB (yes, the laughing guy in the WOT meme) for openly expressing support to the Russian forces and also donated $1M to Ukraine's red cross/humanitarian help orgs, which suggests which side they were (slightly) leaning towards. I suppose this costly scission shall, in the long term, help reaffirm themselves as a truly international company (based in Cyprus, instead of St Petersburg or their original studio in Minsk) and shed their Russian/Belarussian roots and all the bad press that comes therewith. As to whether this forced exit will make them abandon their questionable business practices, I do not know and I wouldn't be too hopeful...especially now that there is a huge financial hole to fill ASAP.

But still...it'll be interesting to see how content development and balancing will go thenceforth for the EU, NA and Asia parts of WOWS and WOT. A lot of WOWS work was done by St Petersburg's Lesta studio, after all.

[Ithekro]

Which means, in theory, I could stop my sem-protest against Russian aggression that was not playing WoWs at home.

Though that is a good question on what will happen to the art team.

[Renegade334]

Yeah, it's practically become a meme at this point that the Art Department's prowess makes up for the shortcomings and very public failures of WG's other departments.

A pity.

Though I'm not sure the accusations of "Bussian Rias" will disappear overnight.