1C Game Studios

What 1C Game Studios does

1C Game Studios (legal entity FOR-GAMES CR LTD, incorporated in Limassol, Cyprus) is an independent video-game developer and publisher founded in December 2012, operating with 101–250 employees from a Cyprus HQ and a Moscow production presence. Its core franchise is the IL-2 Sturmovik combat flight simulator series, covering WWI (Flying Circus), WWII (Battle of Stalingrad, Moscow, Kuban, Normandy, Bodenplatte), tank combat (Tank Crew: Clash at Prokhorovka), and the Korean War (Korea. IL-2 Series), distributed globally via Steam and proprietary web stores. The studio has expanded beyond simulators into a team-based tactical shooter (Caliber, released to Steam in 2023) and a Slavic folklore action RPG (Deathless. Tales of Old Rus), with Caliber reaching a 1 million player milestone.

The technical stack rests on the Unity engine (C#), supported by an in-house 44-camera Prime 13 motion-capture studio in Moscow operating at up to 240 Hz with a 9x9 meter tracking volume — simultaneously an internal animation asset and an externally monetized professional-service line (1C Mocap Studio, 64,000 rubles per 8-hour shift + VAT). Revenues are generated through one-time game licenses, expansion packs/DLC, early access programmes, and motion-capture studio rentals. Marketing is conducted via VK, YouTube, Telegram, ArtStation, and TikTok, while hiring is supported by paid 3D animator and general internship pipelines. The company holds no external funding rounds and reports under GDPR (EU) and Russian Federal Law 152-FZ data-protection regimes, with no disclosures of revenue, headcount growth rate, or ownership structure beyond the Cyprus SPV.

Name

1C Game Studios

Legal name

FOR-GAMES CR LTD

Website

https://1cgs.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

1C Game Studios is a Cyprus-domiciled independent video-game publisher (operating from Limassol with Moscow production) that develops and distributes the IL-2 Sturmovik combat flight-simulator franchise, the Caliber tactical shooter, and the Deathless action RPG to a global consumer audience via Steam and proprietary stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Combat Flight Simulation Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321)

akta.pro primary industry

AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Combat flight simulation
• Historical aviation games
• Tactical shooter games
• Game development publishing
• Motion capture services

Headquarters

HQ city

Limassol

HQ country

Cyprus

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Game Sales and Downloads: Direct sales of combat flight simulators and shooters through proprietary stores (il2sturmovik.ru, playcaliber.com) and Steam distribution. Games released with base versions and expansion packs.
2. Expansion Packs and DLC: Series expansions for IL-2 Sturmovik including Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Moscow, Battle of Kuban, Battle of Normandy, Battle of Bodenplatte, and Flying Circus WWI aircraft expansions.
3. Early Access Revenue: Games released in early access phase with discounted pricing prior to full release, including Battle of Stalingrad early access launch and Deathless. Tales of Old Russia early access.
4. Motion Capture Studio Rental: Rental of mocap studio facilities including props and sports equipment. 64,000 rubles per shift (8 hours), with additional VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

1C Game Studios develops and publishes video games globally, anchored by the historically accurate IL-2 Sturmovik combat flight simulator franchise covering WWI, WWII, and Korean War aviation, alongside the team-based tactical shooter Caliber and the Slavic folklore-themed action RPG Deathless. Tales of Old Rus. The studio also operates 1C Mocap Studio in Moscow as a motion capture rental facility supporting animation production for games and media.

Product overview

1C Game Studios develops and publishes video games globally across multiple franchises. The portfolio consists of military simulation games (IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles series covering WWI and WWII aviation, including Flying Circus, Korea series, and Tank Crew expansions) and multiplayer action games (Caliber, a team-based shooter, and Deathless. Tales of Old Rus, a Slavic folklore-themed title). The company also operates 1C Mocap Studio, a motion capture rental facility in Moscow, as a supplementary service supporting its game development pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1C Mocap Studio: Motion capture studio in Moscow equipped with 44 cameras, 9x9 meter tracking space, providing animation capture services for games and media production

Products and services

• IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Combat flight simulator series dedicated to the largest battles of the Second World War era, featuring historically accurate aircraft, terrain, and combat scenarios across multiple expansions including Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Moscow, Battle of Kuban, Battle of Normandy, and Battle of Bodenplatte. Built for PC flight simulation enthusiasts.
• Flying Circus Combat flight simulator dedicated to historical reconstruction of aviation during the First World War era, released as part of the IL-2 Sturmovik series.
• Caliber Team-based online shooter featuring special forces operators from around the world, available on Steam and proprietary storefront with multi-language support. Reached 1 million players milestone in February 2019.
• Deathless. Tales of Old Rus Action RPG featuring Russian epic heroes with Slavic folklore themes, released as Immortal in international markets.
• Korea. IL-2 Series Historical combat flight simulator expansion within the IL-2 Sturmovik series covering Korean War-era aviation.
• Tank Crew: Clash at Prokhorovka Expansion within the IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles series featuring tank combat at Prokhorovka during the Second World War.
• 1C Mocap Studio Motion capture studio rental service in Moscow (Electrolytny proezd) equipped with 44 Prime 13 cameras up to 240 Hz, 9x9 meter tracking space, professional actors for full body plus optical finger capture, export formats FBX/C3D/BVH, and props/sports equipment included.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bohemia Interactive: Developer of Arma series (military simulation) and DayZ (survival), Bohemia is a comparable PC-focused military simulation studio serving enthusiast PC gamers with premium titles and ongoing expansion content, similar in DNA to 1C Game Studios.
• Eagle Dynamics (DCS World): Eagle Dynamics develops DCS World, the leading premium PC combat flight simulator directly competing with IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles. Both studios serve the same WWII/WWII-era flight sim enthusiast segment with pay-per-module premium DLC models.
• Gaijin Entertainment: Developer of War Thunder, a free-to-play military vehicle combat game spanning aviation, ground, and naval forces. Directly comparable to 1C Game Studios in military-genre PC gaming and competes head-on with Caliber in the military shooter/vehicle segment.

Broad incumbents

• Wargaming: Publisher of World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships — large-scale free-to-play military vehicle games. Comparable to 1C Game Studios in military gaming audience, though at much larger scale and with broader platform reach including mobile and console.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator: Microsoft's flagship civilian flight simulator competes for the same aviation enthusiast PC audience as IL-2 Sturmovik. While focused on civilian rather than combat flight, it represents a major competitor in the broader PC flight simulation category.

Emerging players

• Digital Extremes: Developer of Warframe, a free-to-play cooperative shooter with strong community and ongoing expansion model. Useful as a comparable peer in long-running live PC shooter development with a passionate enthusiast audience similar to IL-2's community.
• Offworld Industries (Squad): Developer of Squad and Beyond the Wire, large-scale military PC shooters. Competes with Caliber in the team-based tactical military shooter segment with similar premium and early access monetization models.

Others

• 1C Entertainment: Parent/affiliated entity within the broader 1C Russian software ecosystem that shares naming and historical connections to 1C Game Studios. Relevant as a potential sister entity, distribution partner, or ecosystem connection.
• Mattel163 / NetEase (mobile combat games): NetEase operates mobile combat/military titles and is a relevant adjacent peer in the broader military gaming space, useful as a comparator for what 1C Game Studios could pursue by extending into mobile platforms it currently does not serve.

Regional players

• 4A Games: Ukrainian developer of the Metro video game series — another Eastern European studio with deep technical/simulation focus and premium PC releases. Comparable as a regional peer with similar production DNA and PC premium-game business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@1cgs
• TikToktiktok.com/@1c_game_studios
• Xx.com/1CGS

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 1C Game Studios