The Mystery Company Behind ‘World of Warships’
August 15, 2016 by Douglas A. McIntyreBy now, a huge number of Americans must have seen the online banner ads for the “World of Warships” game, which is free. Presently, these ads are are nearly ubiquitous. The download requires the new player’s email address, which is presumably very valuable all by itself (as the games is free). The game is made and marketed by Wargaming Public Co. Ltd., based in Cypress. It apparently is a holding company, which owns a portion of the nation’s largest bank.
The company also distributes “World of Tanks” and “World of Warplanes.”
It is hard to get a good fix on Wargaming. In one statement it hints at 60 million users. Its site also mentions 150 million gamers, but it is hard to tell whether this is Wargaming’s player universe or some larger one.
Wargaming is not just in the free game business. It also creates games for Xbox and PS4. According to its website:
Wargaming – one of the leading free-to-play MMO. We have behind him more than 18 years in the game industry and more than 15 games for various platforms.
As of 2015, according to the Cyprus Mail:
Hellenic Bank CEO, Bert Pijls is aware of the challenge ahead and determined to grow market share from third largest Cyprus bank to first (not difficult given the outstanding NPL’s of the other two) …
And Hellenic can do just that with investors like Wargaming Public Co Ltd, which is an international MMO (massively multiplayer online) developer and publisher, headquartered in Nicosia, now operating across 16 offices and development centres worldwide to become one of the leaders in the market.
Wargaming is the biggest tax payer in Cyprus, with a workforce numbering hundreds, and many more in Belarus developing new games.
The construction of a half pyramidal shaped tower block situated opposite their head office on Severis Avenue, Nicosia is nearing completion, as is that of PricewaterhouseCooper’s new Nicosia HQ two doors along and facing Government House.
Something tells me Cyprus is onto something good.
Wargaming is a major shareholder in Hellenic Bank with two Wargamers working at the bank’s head office rumoured to be buying up any viable Cyprus asset (land on beach, etc.) as the company earns millions of euros from their tank games to invest ahead of when their games are replaced.
At one point in 2014, the Cypress Stock Exchange suspended trading in the shares of Wargaming because it had not filed proper 2013 financials.
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