Wargaming chief touts Master of Orion as a gift so that a new generation can ‘touch the classics’

LOS ANGELES — Victor Kislyi is a gamer at heart. That’s why the chief executive of Wargaming acquired the rights to the old sci-fi galaxy conquest title Master of Orion. Kislyi said he grew up with the game, and he wanted younger generations to experience the same joy that he did as a child playing it.

The single-player game is a departure for Wargaming, which has become a huge publisher by focusing on massively multiplayer online games such as World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships. The latter is just about to launch into an open beta test after years of development. We caught up with Kislyi and Master of Orion developer Chris Keeling in an interview at the Electronic Entertainment Expo industry trade show in Los Angeles.