Wargaming launches dedicated mobile division
DropForge and its 60 employees are now part of new "WG Cells" arm
Wargaming has taken a decisive stride into mobile gaming by establishing a new division dedicated to publishing and developing for the market.
Motivated by the success of World of Tanks Blitz, which has been downloaded more than 35 million times, WG Cells will be a banner for both publishing and development. The latter will be handled by studios within Wargaming's Seattle and Kyiv offices.
WG Cell's strategy will be managed by the company's COO, Marat Karpeko. Operations will be handled by David Bluhm, formerly the CEO of DropForge games and the holder of that same job title at WG Cells.
The DropForge connection suggests that Wargaming has been planning its entry into the mobile market for as long as two years. The studio was 100 per cent funded by Wargaming when it launched in November 2013, though it was allowed to grow and operate independently. According to Geekwire, DropForge is no longer a going concern, and its entire team of 60 people are now part of Wargaming.
In the main, WG Cells' current roster consists of games developed by DropForge: Loot & Legends and Fantastic Plastic Squad, both of which are already available, and Smash Squad, which will launch next year.
In a statement released yesterday, Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi explained the new division as an attempt to leverage the full extent of the company's resources in a "massive" market with "even greater potential" for growth.