The video game development studio Best Way was founded in 1999 in Sievierodonetsk, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, where at that time almost no one knew anything about gamedev.

Dmytro Morozov, a businessman who had grown tired of the routines of conventional business, was inspired by the dream that he could create an RTS not merely on the level of the world’s leading titles, but perhaps even better. Although he had no experience in game development, he began bringing together like minded people willing to learn everything from scratch.

The team built the prototype of its first, never announced game about fantastical creatures using a third-party voxel based engine. Soon, it became clear that the engine’s limitations restricted creative freedom, leading Dmytro to begin developing his own technology.

The team continued to grow, and with it, so did its ambitions. Best Way moved on to developing a space themed RTS with orbital stations, interplanetary battles, and modular spacecraft.

Dmytro Morozov refused to accept compromises and readily discarded anything that did not match his vision. Development took place on Windows 98 with DirectX 6, without hardware acceleration, often almost blindly, yet every step brought valuable experience.

Although the space project proved too ambitious for a young studio, it was this project that provided essential knowledge in 3D modelling and physics, laying the groundwork for a proprietary engine that later evolved into GEM1 and became the foundation of all future Best Way games.

In 2001, the Best Way team worked on a demo version of the tactical RTS Xenoform: First Encounter, in which the player controlled a squad of space marines in exoskeletons fighting alien creatures.

Development was carried out on the proprietary Eclipse engine under DirectX 6 and DirectX 7, which used voxel rendering technology. The team refined unit control using classic point-and-click mechanics, created a system of roles and personal inventories for units, and conducted experiments with projectile physics. It was then that the idea of ballistic simulation emerged, which later became one of the key features of all projects created with Best Way technologies.

The path of continuous experimentation with innovations, the pursuit of quality, and the rejection of weak solutions gradually formed the studio’s working paradigm.

A turning point for the studio was the internal development of a prototype dedicated to the theme of World War II. One of the lead designers proposed creating a scene in which a tank moved along preset waypoints and opened fire.

Seeing this experiment, Dmytro Morozov suggested adding the ability to control the tank with the keyboard. Thus, the Direct Control feature was born, which later became a hallmark of all Best Way games.

The idea of manual control of vehicles spurred the creation of new systems: movement mechanics for different unit types, physics simulation, and destruction of scene objects. The resulting prototype, titled Tank Fire, turned out to be far more interesting in gameplay terms and determined a change in the studio’s genre direction.

After several years of searching and learning, the team created a prototype unlike anything else. The project looked distinctive and technologically surpassed most games of the time.

When the disc with the demo version reached a publisher, the reaction was immediate. The potential of the game was so obvious that within two weeks the publisher’s representatives flew to Sievierodonetsk, traveling through the abandoned mines of Donbas, to sign a publishing agreement in person for Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, which became Best Way’s first game. Thus began the history of the franchise now known as Men of War.

In March 2003, at the International Game Developers Conference, the project received the award for Best Foreign Game attracting the attention of the European publisher Codemasters.

In 2004, Best Way made a breakthrough by releasing Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. The game was created on the proprietary GEM1 engine, which made it possible to implement an unprecedented level of interactivity in the RTS genre.

The project amazed journalists and captured players’ hearts. Preview coverage was accompanied by positive reviews, and after release, the game remained at the top of sales for several weeks in the CIS countries and Western Europe.

The success of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II brought the studio recognition and marked the beginning of an expansion of the game universe at the publisher’s initiative. Over the following years, the partner studio Dark Fox created several standalone projects on the GEM1 engine under the name Silent Heroes Elite Troops of World War II (Outfront: Saboteurs). This maintained community interest and allowed Best Way to focus on experimenting with the new GEM2 engine and developing Faces of War.

After the success of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, Best Way entered a new stage of exploration and experimentation. Work on the next game became both a test of technology and a step toward shaping the studio’s own philosophy of game design. The team avoided easy paths, striving instead to create new gameplay rules by blending genres and experimenting with mechanics.

Built on the GEM2 engine, the project marked a breakthrough in graphical technology, allowing for greater detail, improved lighting, and realistic destruction. The engine also made it possible to develop a unique unit control formula that combined classic tactical squad management, an AI-driven system of “honest” unit behavior, and the ability to directly control any individual unit.

In 2005, the new project received several top awards at the International Game Developers Conference, becoming a key factor in negotiations with publisher Ubisoft.

The release of Faces of War was planned for spring 2006, but the deadlines did not allow development to be completed. Best Way’s management insisted on meeting its own quality standards, so the game’s release was moved to autumn. Because of this, the project did not receive due attention from the Western press.

In the ExUSSR countries, Faces of War was positioned as a continuation of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. The game retained key mechanics but offered a new gameplay formula aimed at a broader audience. Part of the fanbase perceived the changes as simplification and was disappointed; however, new players appreciated the dynamics and scale of the battles. Thus, two groups formed in the community: supporters of the original model and fans of the new approach.

The temporary downturn was not a defeat. The wave of criticism became a source of rethinking and inspiration for creating the future star, Men of War.

After the release of Faces of War, Best Way began developing a standalone expansion intended to return the series to its roots of realism, micromanagement, and historical authenticity.

Work was carried out on the GEM2 engine. The German studio Digitalmindsoft joined the collaboration, focusing on mission detail, authentic sound design, and narrative. The developers sought for a balance in the unit control system by combining precise execution of player orders with AI-based autonomous unit decisions, while preserving Direct Control as the series’ calling card.

In parallel, several Best Way programmers began creating a new version of the engine, GEM3. The task before the team was to develop a modular and cross-platform system suitable for licensing and for parallel work on the studio’s own games and third-party projects.

By taking a step back toward hardcore gameplay, Best Way released the new game Men of War, which became a benchmark of the tactical action genre. Tactical flexibility, realistic physics, and an interactive environment earned the project recognition among critics and players. The game received a score of 80 on Metacritic and positive reviews, including from the editor-in-chief of Eurogamer.

The success of Men of War inspired the publisher to fund new projects built on the game. The series’ universe began expanding with new settings and unique gameplay experiences.

The year 2008 was not only a period of expanding the Men of War franchise, but also the beginning of licensing the early version of the GEM3 engine. The talented Ino-co team chose Best Way’s technology to create a unique strategy with indirect unit control set in the fantasy kingdom simulator Majesty 2.

While developing GEM3, Best Way began a series of experiments with new genres and settings. The process resembled the studio’s early years: the team once again learned how to create games, but at a new technological level, implementing modern solutions and exploring new creative directions.

By testing different settings and combining mechanics from various genres, the team produced several demo videos on GEM3 that demonstrated the engine’s potential for future projects. The project received the working title Men of Stars

The year 2009 saw the release of two games built on GEM technology. Men of War: Red Tide was released on GEM2, while Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, developed by Ino-Co, became the first major external project built on GEM3.

Experiments with the capabilities of GEM3, together with the successful releases of the Majesty 2 series by Ino-Co, led to new results. The Best Way team received an unexpected proposal to create an RPG built on GEM3, set in a post apocalyptic world with elements of alternative history.

The idea seemed ambitious, as the studio was known primarily for strategy games. Nevertheless, the team accepted the challenge. Its own engine opened opportunities for realizing bold ideas, and its technological level was comparable to the leading game engines of that period.

The game was titled Nuclear Union and was announced in 2012.

At the end of 2011, a group of enthusiasts approached Best Way with an ambitious idea: to turn a mod for Men of War into a full fledged game about Great War titled Battle of Empires: 1914-1918.

The studio not only granted a license to use GEM2, but also took on publishing responsibilities, helping the development team bring the project to commercial release.

The news quickly spread through the community, and Best Way soon received several requests from indie teams interested in licensing GEM2. As a result, the company established its own publishing division, opening a new line of activity for the studio.

Ukraine entered a phase of revolution. Nuclear Union lost its funding. Best Way tried to continue developing the game independently while simultaneously seeking new investors or a publisher to complete the project.

But new challenges awaited the team: war, the freeze of Nuclear Union, evacuation of a significant part of the team from the combat zone, settling in a new place, all without losing momentum in the development of the GEM3 engine and the Project5 game, which inherited the core idea and gameplay mechanics of Nuclear Union.

The year 2014 became one of the most eventful in Best Way’s history. The team worked on its own project, Project 5, which drew on experience gained during Nuclear Union but offered greater freedom of action, variability of playthroughs, and a new character control system with command distribution in Bullet Time. A demo version was shown at an international game developers’ conference in hopes of finding a publisher or investor; however, the project’s scale seemed too ambitious for a small team, and the risks were deemed too high.

In parallel, the programming team ported key gameplay mechanics from the Gem2 engine to Gem3; the game designers and 3D artists prepared for the creation of a Soldiers remake. In December 2014, Best Way’s publishing division released Battle of Empires by the independent Great War Team into Early Access. Meanwhile, Best Way’s management sought new partnership opportunities.

In 2015, Best Way froze development of the GEM3 engine and all related projects, making the strategic decision to focus on developing its own series of tactical strategies using the Men of War gameplay formula. The company announced Soldiers: Arena and presented an updated modification of the GEM2 engine with Steam integration, support for modern platforms, and a new interface.

In parallel, the publishing division of Best Way expanded support for external studios developing games on the GEM2 engine. Among them were the projects Gates of Hell and Draft Wars, both submitted to voting on Steam Greenlight in autumn 2015.

At the beginning of 2016, Best Way faced an internal crisis and resource reductions. The company temporarily suspended the activities of its publishing division and partner support for external projects, keeping only maintenance of Battle of Empires. To preserve the team and focus, the studio made the strategic decision to concentrate on developing Soldiers: Arena and improving its own technologies, which later became the basis for GEM RTS.

During this period, the concept of Soldiers: Arena was completely revised. The premium model was replaced with a free-to-play format with microtransactions and long-term live-service support. Instead of traditional campaigns and co-op scenarios, the team began work on a short-session multiplayer PvP game. The planned gameplay structure included a player progression and specialization system, a tech tree, unit development, and building a personal deck of units for each session.

Best Way continued to stabilize the team and internal processes after the previous year’s crisis. The main focus remained on developing Soldiers: Arena and refining the technologies that later became the foundation of GEM RTS. The team worked on the service model architecture, network code optimization, support for dedicated servers, battalion balance, and the progression system, testing mechanics on internal builds.

In parallel, Best Way continued supporting Battle of Empires project, worked with the community, and conducted limited testing of Soldiers: Arena among the most engaged players. The following years became a period of quiet but systematic work aimed at strengthening the technological base and preparing the team for subsequent public steps.

After several years of experimentation, Soldiers: Arena was preparing for release in Early Access. But the team openly acknowledged that the technical debt and the complexity of the systems accumulated during the active phase of development would not allow the game to be completed within the planned timeframe.

Throughout the year, Best Way stayed in touch with the community through developer diaries, talking about changes in balance, interface, networking mechanics, and map tests. The project turned into an internal testing ground for the development of GEM RTS engine technologies.

At the end of the year, Best Way received an offer from 1C Entertainment to release the game under the Men of War brand. On September 25, 2019, the project officially received a new title — Men of War II: Arena.

On February 18, 2020, Best Way and 1C Entertainment made a joint announcement featuring the debut trailer for Men of War II: Arena and the date of the closed beta test. The test began on March 31, and on July 29 the game opened its doors to everyone.

The team actively worked on updating maps, battalions, the progression system, and the network code, building the server architecture and improving balance. The community participated in tests, helping shape the game in direct dialogue with the developers.

However, player expectations did not align with the developers’ vision for the free-to-play model. The Men of War community perceived the online service format ambiguously, so despite constant updates, the experiment with a service-based RTS came into question.

The beginning of the year became a period of reflection and rethinking. Despite every attempt to stabilize the service and monetization, Men of War II: Arena failed to find its audience.

On September 30, the servers of Men of War II: Arena were officially shut down with an announcement of compensation for all players. In an address to the community, the developers thanked all fans for their support and announced a new course — the creation of a full-fledged premium game, Men of War II.

Thus ended the story of an ambitious experiment that was meant to become a long-term service but instead became an important lesson and a technological foundation for a new stage in the studio’s development.

The war drastically changed the life of the studio. The frontline reached Sievierodonetsk, the main office came under crossfire, and employees along with their families were forced to evacuate urgently. The production process came to a halt.

That year, the team suffered its greatest loss. The heart of founder and creative director Dmytro Morozov stopped beating.

After relocation, the developers gathered their strength and returned to work on Men of War II under the extremely difficult conditions of war and prolonged blackouts.

The Best Way team worked on Men of War II in a reality where every day could have been the last. Massive missile strikes and drone attacks, blackouts, and constant relocation between cities and countries did not stop production. The breath of death hardened the team’s spirit, and the support of the publisher, Fulqrum Publishing, strengthened the resolve to see the project through.

In 2024, the long-awaited release of Men of War II finally took place. It became the largest project in the history of the franchise. The game was released against all odds. The team did not let the war break them.

The release of Men of War II became proof of the developers’ life credo: dedication to the craft and the support of like-minded people can overcome any challenge. No darkness can extinguish the light born through creativity!

The revival story of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II began in the winter of 2014, when one of the programmers, while testing an updated version of Visual Studio, tried to compile the old game code. A routine technical check traditionally turned into a new captivating experiment, as a result of which the project received full Steam integration. However, that year the release of the update was postponed.

After a years-long pause, the team returned to work: they adapted the game to modern systems and hardware, and volunteers from the community took on the final stage of preparing the update, helping to polish every detail. The release of Soldiers: Heroes of World War II Enhanced Edition became for the Best Way team a symbol of respect for their own creative legacy, dedication to their craft, and appreciation for the community. A moment in which the past and the present converged opened a new chapter in the studio’s history.