Lesta Games, the developer of the Russian version of World of Tanks and World of Warships, has had its assets seized by the Russian government last week after accusations of 'extremist activities'Tech17:26, 28 Apr 2025Updated 18:41, 28 Apr 2025World of Tanks is incredibly popular globallyThe Russian invasion of Ukraine continues unabated, and after threatening to ban Ukrainian-developed title STALKER 2 last year, Putin's government has gone one step further with Lesta Games.The studio, which works on Russian versions of popular titles World of Tanks and World of Warships and has done since 2022, had its assets reportedly seized by Russian state officials last week.‌The studio's Moscow office has been seized by the government, but Lesta's team and PR representatives have not offered a statement yet outside of confirming the company is complying with the government's investigations.‌""The company operates in full compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, so we have no reason to have any concerns or conceal information," a Telegram message explains.These images are from the worldwide release of the gameLesta was divested from Wargaming, the company that makes World of Tanks, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.Article continues belowWhile Wargaming has been outspoken in its support for Ukraine, Lesta had seemingly tried to shy away from politics and has been offering updates to World of Tanks and World of Warships in Russia, including translations.As per Russian business outlet RBC (via machine translation):"The arrest was imposed on April 17 on OOO Lesta (the main legal entity of Lesta Games), OOO Lesta Games Moscow (the Moscow office) and OOO Lesta Games Agency (which is directly involved in publishing games)."‌"According to the SPARK database, the claimant in the case is the Prosecutor General's Office. Other details of the case are not disclosed."The game is free-to-playReports suggest that Leska and Wargaming are seen to be part of an "association that carries out extremist activities".‌Wargaming had previously fired its creative director, Sergey Burkatovskiy, over his public voicing of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine (thanks, VGC ).“Sergey Burkatovskiy expressed his personal opinion on social media, which categorically does not reflect the position of the company,” a Wargaming statement explained.“He has been let go and is no longer at the company.”Article continues belowIn a statement to the Daily Star, Wargaming said it has no assets in Russia or Belarus after reports of them being seized. They said: "Wargaming made a strategic exit from the Russian and Belarusian markets three years ago. The company disposed of its business in Russia and Belarus to the local management at zero cost and on a debt-free, cash-free basis, with no consideration to take it back. Wargaming doesn’t have any assets or business interests in Russia and Belarus."For more on Russia's interest in gaming, be sure to check out the latest on the development of a games console from the state government, which some are dubbing the Putindo.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌