Following a government acquisition, Lesta, a Russian game developer under state control, is set to implement extensive redundancies

28 January 2026 , 21:27

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Following a government acquisition, Lesta, a Russian game developer under state control, is set to implement extensive redundancies

A source from media reports that the company Lesta—Russia’s largest developer and operator of computer games (World of Tanks, World of Warships)—is preparing for large-scale layoffs.

In the summer of 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office “seized” Lesta from its founders and transferred it under state control. Boris Dobrodeev was appointed to run the company and announced plans to aggressively hire more staff, expand operations, and pursue growth. However, according to the source, less than six months later employees were (so far unofficially) informed about upcoming mass layoffs.

The departments responsible for World of Warships are expected to be hit particularly hard. It is also known that none of the interns will be offered employment contracts, and the company will part ways with them. In addition, plans have been announced to completely shut down the company’s Tashkent office.

Emily Hughes