Masha Kondratenko's 'Lyuli-Lyuli' Now Sounds in Combat Vehicles: Ukrainian Track Integrated into Military Shooter WARDOGS

Ukrainian pop artist Masha Kondratenko has earned recognition beyond the music industry: her track 'Lyuli-Lyuli' has become part of the gameplay in the new tactical shooter WARDOGS, developed by British studio BULKHEAD and published by Team17. The track did not simply make it into the background soundtrack — it was integrated directly into the gameplay, turning the song into a functional element of the match rather than conventional musical accompaniment.

Cassettes Instead of a Conventional Soundtrack

In WARDOGS, musical tracks are presented in an unusual format: players find cassettes during their playthrough and then unlock them. Once unlocked, the songs become available to listen to right during matches. 'Lyuli-Lyuli' is one of these tracks — the song plays when the character is riding in ground military vehicles or in a helicopter, without pulling the player out of the game. In this way, the Ukrainian song has become part of the game's mechanics, which the player activates themselves while in a vehicle.

The Geisha Ninja Samurai Label and Its Gaming Experience

The track 'Lyuli-Lyuli' was released in 2023 on the Ukrainian label Geisha Ninja Samurai. For this collective, collaboration with the video game industry is not new: the team had previously worked with Ukrainian studio GSC Game World on the musical content of the game STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The inclusion of Kondratenko's track in WARDOGS is a continuation of this line of interaction between Ukrainian music and the gaming market.

WARDOGS: Scale of Combat and Early Access

WARDOGS is a tactical shooter by studio BULKHEAD, known for military and action projects, published by Team17. The game is designed for large-scale multiplayer battles: up to 100 players can compete simultaneously in a single match on large maps featuring military vehicles and destructible objects. The project entered early access in September 2026; even before the official release, during testing, the number of simultaneous players exceeded 100,000, indicating strong audience interest in the project.

The Significance of the Integration for the Artist

For Masha Kondratenko, the appearance of her track in an international gaming project means that Ukrainian music is entering the global digital space, where the audience encounters the song within the context of in-game action. Integration into the mechanics, rather than into a playlist, strengthens the track's memorability and ties it to a specific gaming experience — riding in combat vehicles and helicopters. This is one example of how Ukrainian artists and labels are establishing themselves in the Western gaming industry.