Alexandr has been with the company for 7 years, and his passion for gaming and dedication to creating immersive experiences shows in his work. In his time at Wargaming, Alexandr has worked on several of our most popular games, and his contributions have helped shape the direction of the project that he has worked on.
.jpg)
How long have you been at Wargaming, including any breaks you have taken?
I’ve been working at Wargaming, and in the Kyiv office, since 2011 with a 4-year break between 2016 and 2020. So, 7 years in total and I’ve spent more than 2 years with my current team.
How would you describe the company culture?
In short, our teams of professionals create great innovative experiences for our users in a friendly and cooperative environment.
How have you grown professionally while on our team?
I‘d say I became a professional game designer at Wargaming. Of course, it was not my first job in game design and I joined the company with some relevant skills. But here I learned how to choose and set proper goals, how to ask questions, how to effectively work with a team, and acquired a load of personal tools that help me make decisions.
What advice would you give someone interested in game design?
Don’t make games for just yourself. Listen to your players, but don’t trust everything they say. Do the research and check analytics before you start work on a project.
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to dream and to actively work towards them. It’s not that hard when you’ve already made the first step.
.png)
What are the plans for World of Warplanes in 2023/2024?
We have several new planes that are almost finished and we’re just waiting for the right time for them to be released. Right now, we are planning for the upcoming year, so it’s difficult to give any concrete details. However, I can say we will release several interesting planes, create some new events and activities, and do the usual: routine balancing for released vehicles, tweaks to some major game elements, etc. Nothing revolutionary, we are very conservative with our future plans here in Kyiv.
What's one thing that people would be surprised to find out about you?
I started studying for vehicle licenses the wrong way around, that is to say from “big” to “small”. I first started the process to get my private pilot’s license. Two years later, I got my [car] driver’s license, mainly because it made it easier to get to the airfield (public transport in our rural areas isn’t that well developed). And then several years after that, I got my bike license 😊
What inspired you to pursue aviation classes?
I’ve had a deep interest in everything aviation and astronautics since I was a child. From aircraft modeling to paragliding, I’ve tried it all. One birthday, my friends once organized an experience for me: a short flight in a light aircraft. It was the first time I experienced piloting a real plane and it was love at first sight. Later, I realized I don’t need five years of training to be able to fly a plane: we have flight schools here in Kyiv with private pilot license programs. And if you really want it, you can afford it!
What’s the story behind the cat named Nadia in the game?
Nadia, or Nadia the Cat, is our mascot who lived in the Kyiv office before quarantine restrictions were put in place. Years ago, someone rescued her from a local animal shelter and brought her to the office. People instantly fell in love with her. She’s a celebrity who has made several cameo appearances in our Dev Diaries series and even has her own room to be able to escape the attention (and scratches) 😊 As our talisman, she’s present in some of our game prototypes (sometimes even as a prototype of one of the main characters) and, of course, in World of Warplanes. After the unique female pilots are added to the game, you can actually find Nadia wandering around the planes that belong to them. By the way, our official Jet Squirrels Instagram account has since been hijacked by Nadia.