1C Company Acquires Russian Rival Buka

Officials from publisher 1C Company (Space Rangers, IL-2 Sturmovik) have announced that the firm has acquired fellow Russian publisher and distributor Buka, which has worked with companies such as Ubisoft, Valve, Codemasters, and THQ to publish their product in Russian territories. 1C Company, and its Czech-based subsidiary 1C Company EU, are already one of the dominant forces in the Eastern and Central European publishing business, and the acquisition of Buka will give the two companies an even more significant presence in the region. A formal merger between the two businesses is not currently planned, but managers from both publishers will be expected to interact and co-operate for future publishing, distribution and marketing activities. 1C Company has seen steady growth in recent years, most recently moving to acquire Russian developer Ino-Co, the studio behind the Star Wolves and Fantasy Wars PC franchises, and as well as Akella’s “Sea Dog” in-house development studio. Said 1C director Boris Nuraliev, “Buka is one of the oldest players on the Russian game market. I always admired the company, its corporate culture, staff, management and operational efficiency. The mutual potential of 1C and Buka opens new unique opportunities and will help us to achieve success on this challenging and rapidly growing market. It will be an honor for us to develop such a well-known and popular brand.”