Malik Khatazhaev, the owner of "Lesta Games," gave an extensive interview to the Belarusian TV channel ONT. He discussed the business split with Wargaming in 2022 and the current situation of his company. Here are the key points.
Khatazhaev recalls that when Wargaming decided to leave Russia and Belarus in the spring of 2022 and handed over all regional business to "Lesta Games," he had many concerns about the future of his company. He wasn't sure what awaited "Lesta Games." Nonetheless, he tried to conceal his doubts, knowing that his employees looked up to him.
"Every company is a living organism with its internal organs responsible for narrow specialties. When everything is cut apart with a chainsaw, it brings no joy to anyone. It's a great pain. Moreover, some functions end up somewhere in other severed parts, and it is very complicated and painful," explained Khatazhaev.
Specifically, after the business split, the core team of World of Warships remained with "Lesta Games," while Wargaming retained the core team of World of Tanks. During the transition period, both companies shared game developments with each other and aimed to enhance their competencies, but collaboration was legally prohibited after it ended.
According to Khatazhaev, the business division lasted just over a year and was fully completed in August 2023. From that moment, "Lesta Games" and Wargaming have no ties.
Currently, "Lesta Games" is doing well. Khatazhaev reminded everyone that the company was already earning excellently before separating from Wargaming. Although World of Warships might have seemed like a secondary game compared to World of Tanks, by the spring of 2022, its revenue had already exceeded a billion dollars significantly.
"Lesta Games" does not pay any royalties to its former parent company for the games "World of Warships," "World of Tanks," and Tanks Blitz — it should be noted that these games are branded under these titles in Russia and Belarus since the fall of 2022.
The profits "Lesta Games" generates are invested in current and new projects, as well as in technology and infrastructure.
Additionally, "Lesta Games" is gradually moving away from renting office spaces toward purchasing them. Khatazhaev believes this will help the company "take root" in its locations. Currently, the company has two key offices: in Minsk and St. Petersburg. Each office houses about a thousand employees, with another 200 working in Moscow.
Speaking of work, Khatazhaev also mentioned that "Lesta Games" does not have remote or hybrid work modes. All employees must work from the office. In his opinion, this work format positively impacts game development.
In the interview, Khatazhaev noted that the company's active gaming audience now averages 6.5 million people. He added that 600,000 of these players are from Belarus. Projects from "Lesta Games" are mainly played by men. For instance, in "World of Warships," 95% of users are male. As for age, Tanks Blitz players are typically between 25 and 40 years old, while "World of Warships" players are usually between 35 and 55 years old. Khatazhaev did not disclose the average age of "World of Tanks" players.
Let's recall that a month ago, Khatazhaev stated that 2024 was the most successful year for "Lesta Games" in terms of revenue. Last year, his company generated a record revenue of 35 billion rubles with a net profit of 16 billion rubles.