- Games Workshop faces criticism
- Owlcat Games tied to Russia
- Warhammer licensing raises concerns
Games Workshop, the owner of Warhammer, has come under fire for its association with a video game company with ties to Russia.
The company stopped selling its fantasy figurines in Russia soon after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Yet, it appears Games Workshop has licensed its intellectual property to Owlcat Games, a studio based in Cyprus but funded by Russian investors.
Owlcat’s game, Rogue Trader, launched on various platforms in December, including Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox, prominently features the Warhammer logo and is officially licensed by Games Workshop, indicating their endorsement.
The Moral Rating Agency, which tracks Russian-based businesses, said, “Indirectly, players of Warhammer and other Owlcat games are supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Games Workshop could have chosen a partner not linked to Russia.
B4Ukraine, aiming to stop multinational companies from doing business with Russia, also criticized, “This is reprehensible corporate behaviour.
On Sunday, Owlcat stated it had a development house in Russia but its teams left the country in 2022, and the company ceased its operations there.
Russian Investment in Gaming Studios
GEM Capital, a Russian investment firm founded in 2017 by Anatoly Paliy, a former executive at Russian state-owned oil and gas giant Gazprom, was among Owlcat’s financiers. GEM reportedly invested at least $1 million (£790,000) in Owlcat.
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In 2013, Paliy established the energy company First Oil. One of his business partners was Mark Garber, a board member of a Russian company founded by the sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
GEM also has an investment in the Cyprus-based video game studio Mundfish, which Ukraine accuses of spreading pro-Russian propaganda.
