1 free read left. Create a free account for unlimited reading + AI research.

Create free account

Game Dev Unchained1 Mar 2022

Creative Director Fired over Pro Russian Comments | Games ReCAP

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
Wargaming terminated its creative director, Sergey Burkatovskiy, after he publicly endorsed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on social media.
02
The firing reflects the operational and reputational risks companies face when executive political statements conflict with the safety and well-being of staff in conflict zones.
03
The company prioritized the safety of its 550 Ukraine-based employees by providing relocation assistance, early salary payments, and alternative housing.
04
Wargaming committed a $1 million donation to the Ukrainian Red Cross to support humanitarian aid and medical needs for displaced citizens.
05
This incident underscores the increasing pressure on gaming companies to enforce professional conduct standards that maintain internal solidarity during periods of geopolitical instability.

Ask AI about this video

Transcript

World of Tanks creator director is fired over proa comments. Welcome to another games recap. What's up everybody? Welcome to another episode of Games Recap, where I am ranting about today's news, unfiltered, unedited, right to you live at YouTube 11 at 11:00 a.m. PST every day. Let's get on to the news. Wargaming has fired World of Tanks creative director over his pro-Russ Russia comments. His name, his name is Sergey Burggoi. I'm going to try my best not to butcher that, but I think I already did after he expressed public support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. So, according to a report by PC Gamer,

he posted an image uh message on Facebook explaining that he backed the operation of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR, the NES People's Republic, and the LPR, Lohansk People's Republic. The Russian officials and statebacked media outlets described invasion Ukraine as a special military invasion or operation. Shortly after posting the message, he said he's no longer working with VG, which a lot of people took it as Wargaming. So, Wargaming is very uh known for their games that are militaristic. World of Tanks being among them as one of the most famous uh franchise from that studio. And uh the thing is there's a lot of locations uh of wargaming uh located all over the world including being in Ukraine. So it is not probably the best thing to say that you're in in favor of a invasion where

you a lot of your colleagues are kind of staying in a Ukrainian studio. Uh so and in effect a lot of people are actually being evaluated uh evacuated from the country to help protect them and their families while this invasion is happening. Not very sensitive. Probably not the best thing that you can do for your own personal PR. Uh it is kind of getting on to that border of where it's safe to be an employee and not have a personal opinion. But as you guys can imagine, being at a managerial position at a major company like that that are making military gains and commenting on a war that is happening or breaking out right now and a lot of your colleagues are fleeing from the very country that you're in support of it invading. It is probably not the best time to express your personal opinion on Facebook. Right? So there's an official statement from Wargaming saying that the safety and

security of our employees is the top priority. Currently all available company resources are helping and supporting 550 plus colleagues providing them with alternate housing, early salary payments, additional funds to aid travel and relocation. We are helping our employees family and travel to neighboring countries and organizing accommodation for them. And lastly, today Wargam and Kaviv are donating $1 million to the Ukrainian Red Cross. These funds will be used to support Ukrainian hospitals and doctors, those citizens who have been displaced and other vital activities of the humanitarian organization as is needed. It's a sticky situation. Nobody wants to be in it. It's unfortunate that people things are not bad enough that developers are getting fired over their personal commentary. But it is very important in a time of this that you show at least solidarity

with their colleagues. You know, you have an office there. You're a manager in a leadership position. Your colleague should be coming first uh to kind of ensure their safety and and make sure that yeah, maybe you stand politically uh with Russia. Uh that's completely fine, but you know, just keep that to yourself. there's no need to publicly announce that uh in this time. Uh I'm hoping that maybe there are other situations that is happening during the workplace where he wants to leave, right? Maybe this is just one of those things that he provoked just so that he can leave. Uh you know, giving him the benefit of the doubt. But, uh, I can't imagine anybody in their right mind thinking that this was a good message, a good idea, and be strolling in on that Monday morning, being upbeat and cool about it, thinking that nobody will have any problems with what he just said. So, it is kind of

nutsy. Uh, this invasion just happened last Thursday. Um, it's just not the right time to kind of be saying these things. Uh I will say as a game developer it is always kind of tricky. Uh you know I podcast I say things as I say it and how I feel. Uh most of the time pretty safe but it is frightening to kind of feel that uh my day job is at risk by expressing my opinion outside of those hours. Right? So I'm always in a bind. But I think this is the exception of to the rule where it's a war. There's war crimes being committed. Uh there's an invasion in the very city that my colleagues are working in. Maybe not the best time to express your opinion right now. Right. So let me know your guys's thoughts as always in the comments section uh discussion in the Discord channel as always. But that's

today's games recap and hopefully your your day is going better than this guy. Have a good one. [Music]

Summary

Wargaming, the developer behind the prominent military-themed franchise World of Tanks, terminated its creative director, Sergey Burkatovskiy, following his public endorsement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The executive utilized social media to express support for the Russian Federation’s military operations and the associated separatist republics. This public stance triggered immediate internal and external backlash, particularly given that Wargaming maintains significant operations and personnel within Ukraine.

The company responded by prioritizing the safety and security of its workforce, noting that it is actively supporting over 550 employees based in Ukraine. These efforts include providing alternative housing, early salary disbursements, and financial assistance for relocation to neighboring countries. Furthermore, Wargaming and its leadership committed a $1 million donation to the Ukrainian Red Cross to assist with medical support, humanitarian aid, and the needs of displaced citizens.

This incident highlights the growing tension between personal expression and corporate responsibility within the global gaming industry, especially when leadership commentary directly conflicts with the safety and well-being of colleagues in conflict zones. The situation underscores the reputational and operational risks companies face when high-level managers make inflammatory political statements during active military crises. While the boundaries of professional conduct regarding personal opinions remain a subject of debate, the immediate termination reflects the company's necessity to maintain internal solidarity and protect its staff during a period of extreme geopolitical instability.