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4A Games Planning To Move Headquarters Out Of Ukraine
Metro developer 4A Games has announced that it's moving its headquarters from Ukraine to the island nation of Malta. The existing Kiev studio will continue operations.
"By basing our new headquarters in Malta, a member state of the EU, 4A Games will be able to better compete on the international stage" said Dean Sharpe, 4A Games' CEO and head of business development. "Malta offers fantastic incentives for game development, and we are confident 4A Games will be able to attract the very best talent from Ukraine, Malta and beyond."
Ukraine has faced conflict between citizens who want economic reforms via the EU and government supporters who see economic intervention from Russia as a viable alternative.
We spoke with Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz at last Gamescom about 4A Games and the tension in Ukraine. "We've been in touch all along, and we care about their lives," he says. "We are concerned about their working conditions such that they can be productive as a team. Even though a lot of havoc happened around them, the team itself is intact." Koch Media is the parent company of Deep Silver, which purchased the Metro IP from THQ following its bankruptcy proceedings.
Several high-profile members of that Kiev team will be moving to Malta, including creative director and co-founder Andrew Prokjhorov, and CTO Oles Shichkovstov. We've reached out to Deep Silver for comment, and will update this story with further details.
[Source: 4A Games]
Our Take
The situation in Ukraine is complicated, but one aspect of it is simple: People want to be safe. It's not surprising that 4A would look to move its headquarters elsewhere as clashes become increasingly bloody. Keeping the studio doors open in Kiev gives employees the option of staying home, too.
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