Gaijin Entertainment: the developer behind War Thunder

Updated 1 October 2026. Gaijin Entertainment is the independent European game developer and publisher best known for War Thunder. The company says it was established in 2002 and now operates its main headquarters and development centre in Budapest, Hungary.

Those facts answer several common search questions directly: Gaijin develops and publishes War Thunder, the company currently describes itself as based in the EU, and Budapest is its main headquarters. Older articles that frame the company only through its earlier geography can be misleading if they are used to describe the organisation as it exists in 2026.

Who made War Thunder?

War Thunder was developed by Gaijin Entertainment. Gaijin also publishes the game and describes it as the company’s main project. For the game’s current state, major updates and platform context, see our War Thunder in 2026 guide.

Gaijin’s current company profile identifies War Thunder as its flagship cross-platform military MMO and lists the platforms it supports.

Where is Gaijin Entertainment based?

Gaijin’s current location and careers pages identify Budapest, Hungary as the company’s main headquarters and development centre. The company also lists offices in Germany, Cyprus, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia.

Gaijin says nearly one hundred developers work at the Budapest hub. Staffing changes over time, so that should be read as the company’s current published description rather than a permanent headcount.

What country is Gaijin Entertainment from?

The most accurate current wording is the wording Gaijin itself uses: an independent European video game developer and publisher established in 2002, with its main HQ and development centre in Budapest.

Historical articles have associated Gaijin with Russia, and a 2013 company press release was datelined Moscow. That historical detail does not override the company’s present corporate description or current headquarters. Technology Blog is therefore separating historical location evidence from the question of where the company is based today.

Why did Gaijin move to Hungary?

Gaijin’s current corporate pages confirm the Budapest headquarters but do not provide a detailed official explanation of the decision to make Budapest the main hub. Without a reliable statement from the company, it would be speculation to assign a motive such as taxes, politics or staffing.

What can be stated safely is that Gaijin now calls Budapest its main HQ and development centre, while maintaining a distributed European and international office network.

What games has Gaijin made?

Gaijin says it has developed more than 30 games across PC, consoles and mobile platforms. Its current public portfolio highlights War Thunder most prominently, alongside titles and publishing relationships spanning other online games.

Earlier Gaijin-developed games include IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, while the company’s modern identity is much more strongly tied to online service games.

What is the Dagor Engine?

Gaijin develops games using its proprietary Dagor Engine. The company identifies Dagor as its own game technology and has used it across its portfolio. That matters because War Thunder’s rendering and large-scale vehicle simulation are not built on a standard commercial engine such as Unreal Engine or Unity.

Is Gaijin independent?

Gaijin describes itself as independent. A 2019 strategic partnership announcement with GAEA explicitly said the two companies would continue operating independently with their existing management teams.

A partnership, publishing arrangement or investment discussion should not automatically be interpreted as an acquisition. The current Gaijin site does not identify a larger publisher as its parent company.

How old is War Thunder?

War Thunder’s public beta era dates back to the early 2010s. Gaijin announced the global open beta in 2013 after several years of development, and the game has since evolved through continuous content and platform updates.

Because War Thunder is a live service, its current scale and feature set should be checked against the game’s present site rather than judged from its original release state.

Gaijin.net versus Gaijin Entertainment

Gaijin.net is used across Gaijin’s account and online-service ecosystem. Seeing ‘Gaijin.net’ in an account, launcher or support context does not mean it is a different developer behind War Thunder; it is part of the company’s service infrastructure.

Bottom line

Gaijin Entertainment is the independent European developer and publisher behind War Thunder. It was established in 2002, currently identifies Budapest as its main headquarters and development centre, operates offices across several countries and uses its proprietary Dagor Engine. Where the official sources do not explain a corporate motive—such as why Budapest became the main hub—Technology Blog will not substitute speculation for evidence.