“When a computer beat Kasparov at chess, that was it,” recalls the company’s founder and CEO Victor Kislyi. “We knew IT was the future.”
Kislyi’s genius move was to apply the free-to-play model to strategy games with its successful World of Tanks franchise in 2010. Installed on 110 million PCs, Wargaming’s signature title—which earned $446 million in 2015, according to SuperData Research—migrated to mobile in 2014 and World of Tanks Blitz has already reached 40 million downloads. Follow-ups World of Warplanes and World of Warships have 16 million users combined.
“Free is good,” Kislyi smiles. “We all love free things. Companies like Google or Facebook showed you can attract customers who do not pay up front, if you provide value and monetize them in a different way.
Anyone anywhere can download the game on any device and play without being asked to pay first. I like to give people happiness. We are making millions of people on the planet happy through game play.”
According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the global gaming industry will grow 8.5% in 2016, with revenues reaching almost $100 billion (€89 billion). Mobiles will overtake PCs in market share; Asia-Pacific will remain the biggest market, and the convergence of games and video will be the top industry driver.
“The next big thing is virtual reality and there’s no going back.” Victor Kislyi, CEO, Wargaming
Wargaming is way ahead of all those trends. Last October, it transformed a subsidiary, DropForge, into a dedicated mobile division.
The company has four offices across Asia and a partner, KongZhong, in China. This year’s Wargaming.net League Grand Finals was watched by over two million unique users.
“Entertainment has always been part of our lives,” Kislyi insists. “Civilization is moving online, towards social networks and increased connectivity.
Our interaction in social networks is meaningful because users have to win a battle, and that involves more intense cooperation than sharing pictures of cats. Games are everywhere, on your mobile phone, in your living room. When you watch a movie or read a book, there is nothing you can change. Good games let you write the story
