Whether they’re based in fantasy or inspired by real-life military history, 3D Commanders have been one of the most enjoyable additions to World of Tanks Modern Armor for our team to work on. It’s been a thrill to give each one its own personality, personality that we hope adds another layer of fun to your battles.

The latest 3D Commander to arrive in the barracks, just in time for International Women’s Day on March 8, is the Darya Kholodova 3D Premium Commander.

Our artists, starting with concept artist Pete McLennon, took an existing model for a female Soviet Commander and updated her appearance to create a new Commander with an authoritative look, one that pays homage to the many key roles that women played during World War II, particularly in the Soviet Union. Touches like a belt buckle similar to those worn by Soviet officers and a uniquely decorated TT-30 “Tokarev” silver-plated pistol were added, and the Commander’s hair and face were modeled after the femme fatales of 1940s Hollywood to transform her into an intriguing yet dangerous character who would be impossible to ignore.

Later, to complete the Commander’s customization, the team decided to give Darya Kholodova her own custom voiceover—and to provide it, they approached the very member of the Chicago studio who had been managing the Commander’s production!

Community Manager KB may be one of the most familiar faces on staff to players, but she’s far from the only woman working on World of Tanks Modern Armor (including, disclaimer, the writer of this article).

Game Dev Producer Aleksandra (Alex) Kashkar has been with Wargaming for the last six years and working on WoTMA for four of those years. Her responsibilities have included coordinating various teams and driving production, project, delivery, and release management. She ensures that various elements are completed and added to the game in time to make it out on schedule.

But voiceover work? Not usually one of her responsibilities unless she’s managing it behind the scenes. “This is my first [voiceover recording] experience,” Alex says.

In fact, Alex informs us that having Darya Kholodova’s voiceover provided internally wasn’t always part of the plan. “We decided the character needed an Eastern European accent, but casting someone and running a proper recording session takes time—not just for the recording itself, but also for the legal processing. Someone suggested we try recording it internally, just for fun.”

Fortunately, the game’s audio director, Brendan Blewett, had experience recording members of the Chicago studio staff for Commander VO. “Actually, this is the second time!” he says. “The very first VO pack we released for female Commanders featured VO performance from our former HR specialist, who had experience as a voice actor on a variety of animated media. It is rare that staff gets to do VO for Commanders, but we try to make it happen whenever we can!”

Brendan and Alex decided to work together, starting with a few test recordings and drawing on Alex’s strengths as a native speaker of Belarusian and Russian. When it came to developing Darya Kholodova’s personality through her voice, both had ideas for the character that centered around strength:

• Alex:
  “I think I was going for a woman who really has her act together—self-sufficient and confident, not someone who needs to be saved, because she can handle things herself. She values her team and her comrades, but she doesn’t cower in front of anyone and firmly holds her ground.
  
  “You know those classic empowerment posters—strong stance, direct gaze, sleeves rolled up, ready to get things done? That was kind of the energy I had in mind.”
  
  
• Brendan:
  “Inspiration for this character certainly came from real-life experiences and the impression that has been made on me by my experiences in the former USSR. The culture there has historically valued hard work and excellence at every level of society, whether it’s academics, sports, the arts, or any other discipline. I wanted that hardness and cunning to really be part of the character’s persona.”

Although Darya’s Kholodova’s lines stick largely to the standard Commander VO script, Alex and Brendan adjusted parts of the script to sound more natural coming from a speaker of Slavic languages and rewrote a number of lines to be unique to the character. “We went back and forth on a handful of sorts of nationalistic… propaganda-type phrases, and some worked and some didn’t,” says Brendan. “Ultimately, we decided to keep it positive and include more ideals around workers’ rights and empowerment. Something we should all be able to get behind!”

Recording took approximately three hours in the Chicago studio, with about eight hours of editorial work spent afterward to polish the final product. Brendan estimates that with testing and implementation included, the process of getting the voiceover ready for release took a couple of weeks.

And not much modulation went into that final product, Brendan says. “Other than the ‘over the radio’ effect, no special effects were added. You are hearing Alex over the radio, and that’s it!”

• One of Alex’s standout lines, according to Brendan: “Honestly the performance of ‘Hah, BOOM. Enemy armor destroyed.’ is my favorite delivery in the lot. It’s got this sort of cheeky confidence that really brings some sizzle to the character.”

For Alex, the notions of hard work and motivational challenges that she drew on for Darya’s Kholodova’s character seem to reflect her experiences as part of the Wargaming team.

“I started my journey at Wargaming… at our former HQ, where I had the opportunity to work across multiple products and collaborate with teams from different offices,” she says. “First and foremost, you’re seen as a professional and a team member. Your ideas, execution, and leadership matter more than your gender—at least that’s been my personal experience.”

She adds that her experience has been similar no matter which Wargaming studio she’s worked with, saying, “Working across different countries, I’ve noticed cultural differences in communication styles and management approaches, but not in terms of respect or opportunity. For me, the industry has been challenging in all the right ways—because of the complexity of the work, not because of being a woman in it.”

For International Women’s Day, we celebrate the opportunities to do complex work that women have had and the successes they’ve had in doing it—and we don’t believe that this is the only time they should be acknowledged. As Alex says, “For me, International Women’s Day is important—but I don’t think women should be celebrated only on March 8. Respect, recognition, and opportunity shouldn’t be limited to one day on the calendar. They should be part of everyday culture.”

The new Darya Kholodova 3D Premium Commander will be available in a special Store bundle from March 3 through 9. Get more details about that bundle and our other International Women’s Day specials in this article!