Product owner with Playson killed in Ukraine

iGaming supplier and content developer Playson on Thursday announced that a product owner with the company, Oleksandr Joncharuk, died in battle while defending Ukraine.

At the end of February, Russia, aided by Belarus, invaded and began war against neighbouring Ukraine, leaving a trail of terror.

In a statement, Playson wrote: “We are devastated to lose such a cheerful, witty, kind, honest, and smart individual who we regarded as an outstanding colleague, but a friend too.

“While his creativity and enthusiasm played a crucial role in the development of Playson’s recent top-performing games, his loss will also be felt throughout the wider industry, having worked across many companies during an iGaming career spanning more than 14 years.

“Oleksandr showed real heroism by volunteering to defend his country from the very first day of this war. We are incredibly proud of him, and he continues to be an inspiration to us all at Playson.
Our deepest sympathies are with Oleksandr’s family and friends. He will be sorely missed.”

He joined Playson in May 2020, and was passed at the company’s development studio in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Last March, Playson had clarified that many of its employees volunteered to defend Ukraine from invasion in a number of ways. Some chose to help fight disinformation, others chose to help with logistics to get aid and medicines to refugees, while others volunteered for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Condolences to Oleksandr’s family, friends, loved ones and colleagues.