Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (the computer game)

[Zoupa]

Fyi, Owlcat Games is pretty much run by the GRU. I would recommend : so as not to fund the russian military.

Oh really? That sucks.

Do you have any links where I can read up on that?

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1732114418723352896.html

[celedhring]

Yeah, I backed their second Pathfinder game, and the developer videos showing a bunch of Russians with nationalist tattoos instantly made me regret it.

That's why I have been on the fence with Rogue Trader, and the Bundle Choice almost made me falter. Happily Zoupa has facilitated a way out of my moral quandary.

[Syt]

Ugh.

[Jacob]

Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately I already bought it

[Josquius]

A warhammer 40k game does make a lot of sense for putinists in a similar vein to those edge lords who don't get it's meant to be silly satire.

[Iormlund]

A warhammer 40k game does make a lot of sense for putinists in a similar vein to those edge lords who don't get it's meant to be silly satire.

The game (or at least the writing) is done by people who understand the universe pretty well, or that's the impression I got.

I was looking forward to their Expanse game as well.

[The Brain]

Is there a list somewhere of Russian or Russia-connected game companies?

[Zoupa]

Honestly, I just check Ukrainian twitter before any purchase. They're the most familiar with it.

[Josquius]

It does raise questions on why that Russian Witcher was necessary then if there are already Russian studios doing well.

[The Brain]

Interesting that Owlcat gets so many license deals with major Western companies. I guess ethics is a four-letter word.

[Syt]

I read another post from June this year on someone's Patreon blog - apparently Owlcat seem to have disentangled themselves from Russian investors. However, their co-founder seems still enmeshed in some Russian companies. Also, the folks who made problematic comments online (like the cinematic director who slurred Ukrainians) are still working there.

And of course it's the whole "We don't care about politics, we just want to make games", which is often a way of ignoring problems, though in the case of Russian staff is probably additionally motivated by staff not wanting to get in Russian state crosshairs or causing trouble for families back home.

[Zoupa]

Owlcat was owned by My.Games, which was owned by VK Company Limited. VK's CEO is Vladimir Kiriyenko. His father is First Deputy Kremlin Chief of Staff.

Supposedly Owlcat separated from My.Games in 2022 via an investment from investment firm Gem Capital.

Gem Capital deals directly with the russian mil-ind complex, most notably in the supply of critical minerals for missiles chips and aircraft turbines.

[Zoupa]

what I appreciate in the : site I linked above is that the hacker is also russian.

[The Minsky Moment]

I saw that Owlcat made various claims of independence and divestments but there is no way to verify this.  It is organized as a Cypriot limited company, i.e. not a PLC, and the reporting is relatively scant. The use of an LLC form is not unusual for an indie game studio but it does make the structure more opaque. Interestingly, other than Karpinsky, its only other listed director is a Cypriot lawyer - a solo practitioner - and the corporate secretary is a local company that provides administrative services.  From a governance perspective, the studio is strictly a one man show. Obviously, the Cyprus registration and HQ raises certain red flags given the strong connection between the island and Russian money laundering operations.